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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23261095">Leave the Espionage to Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/someonesbeenhere/pseuds/someonesbeenhere'>someonesbeenhere</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spies &amp; Secret Agents, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Murder, Awkward Ben Solo, Badass Rey, Ben's Proud of Her, Best Friends, Blackmail, Brainwashing, Comedy, Crime Fighting, Crushes, Dark Comedy, Deep Cover, Espionage, F/M, Flirting, Geeky, Hacking, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Inspired by Music, Kidnapping, Love at First Sight, Missions, Music, Organized Crime, Playlist, Poe flirts a lot, Rey Flirts Too, Rey Kills a Bunch of Bad Guys, Rey is Ben's Hero, Slow Dancing, Spies &amp; Secret Agents, Surveillance, Technology, Training, Undercover, Undercover Missions, Weapons Development</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:08:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>48,404</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23261095</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/someonesbeenhere/pseuds/someonesbeenhere</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe and Finn are world class spies for the Resistance, an agency run by General Leia Organa that protects the unknowing masses from organised crime. Both men are suave, charming and excellent at what they do. Together with Leia's brilliant son Ben, they make up the top team in the company. Tech expert Ben uses his high intellect to create the team's toys and gadgets but he sorely lacks the skills with women that his friends possess. When the beautiful, smart and deadly Rey Johnson joins their team, their entire dynamic changes as Ben falls head over heels for her instantly. Can the gang navigate deadly missions long enough to see if Ben has a chance with her?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Episode 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey everyone!<br/>Welcome to my wannabe TV show! (shoutout to the CW!;) )<br/>I have actually created a soundtrack to go along with this fic, here's the link!</p><p>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74CsZkeOOggFe7X2qktzgP?si=pOIfK3xYQ-St3vwTZPyJ_Q</p><p>Throughout the story I've put in brackets which song to listen to while reading that point in the story, if you don't wanna listen to the playlist that's cool too, I hope it will enhance your reading experience though!<br/>It will be updated with every chapter posted.<br/>Enjoy!</p><p>(Shoutout to the Reylo Fic Recs facebook group who motivated me to write this finally!)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>(♫ Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top ♫)</p><p> </p><p>“Audio link established.” Ben says.</p><p>“Affirmative.”</p><p>“Check.” Finn and Poe, respectively confirm. Rock music plays subtly in their earpieces and the two exchange a knowing look and a smirk. Interference through their new earpieces wasn’t technically possible but when they guy who invented them wants to play ZZ Top through them, Finn and Poe were going to listen to ZZ Top. Plus, they had to admit, it did get them a little pumped up. Especially doing the kind of thing they were doing tonight.</p><p>The guys checked their reflections in the hotel’s mirrored windows, they buttoned their tuxedo jackets and gave each other a nod. They strutted through the hotel’s lobby, in well-rehearsed synchronicity. With the music pumping in their ears, they felt invincible. Their egos boosted further by the sidelong glances and flirtatious smiles they received from the beautiful, gown clad woman they passed. Finn returned a small smirk to a couple of them who looked his way. Poe straight up grinned and winked at them all.</p><p>This was their dynamic. Both very handsome men, neither of them played this fact down. More often than not, they used their looks to their advantage. The Honey Pot manoeuvre being one of Poe’s favourites. But that was Poe, gorgeous, charming and ever so slightly wicked. Finn on the other hand was more the quiet, mysterious type. But make no mistake, he could weaponise his looks just as easily as his partner.</p><p>“Remember guys,” Ben’s voice cut through the music in their ears, “We’re here for information … no matter how beautiful the women are.”</p><p>That’s Ben Solo. He’s the son of The Resistance’s General Leia Organa. Don’t be fooled by family connections though, Ben is highly intelligent. He graduated top of his class at M.I.T. <em>three years early</em> and since then he has designed and built all of Finn and Poe’s favourite toys. Together, the three of them make up the top team in the agency, consistently producing results and that’s mainly down to the fact that the three of them are such good friends.</p><p>Ben sits in the surveillance van around the corner from the hotel, on his screens he has several viewpoints of tonight’s party. One from each of the cameras embedded in the boy’s bowties, several from the hotel’s own CCTV cameras and one from the tiny camera he planted in one of the optics behind the bar when he was there earlier in the week tapping into the CCTV. Ben would usually tell you that he got the best view of the operations but as he flicked through the camera feeds, he stopped on Poe’s bowtie cam. Poe always had the best view. Two beautiful girls turned to look at the Resistance spy and shot him devastating smiles, their eyes flirtatious and burning into Poe so hard that Ben felt the tension in the van 50 feet away.</p><p>“I gotta get myself field trained.” Ben mumbled to himself.</p><p>“Can you see Phasma anywhere Ben?” Finn’s voice comes through. Ben flicks through the cameras. He has some surveillance photos of Gwendoline Phasma so he knew he was looking for a <em>very </em>tall blonde but he had no idea what she was wearing. Luckily for Ben, his hidden bar cam came in handy.</p><p>“She’s at the bar. Silver dress, you can’t miss her.” Ben kept the screen on her, watching as Poe came into view, coming up to the bar beside her. Finn walked past the two of them in the background, keeping his distance further down the bar. Ben knew this move; he’d seen them do it many time before. Poe usually bought the target a drink but Ben knew that she’d just bought herself one and Poe clocked the full glass in the woman’s hand. “She’s got a Jura with splash of soda.” Ben told him.</p><p>“Jura, just a splash of soda.” Poe said to the bartender, Phasma’s interested piqued, she turned to the man at the bar beside her. Ben stifled a chuckle at the height difference between the two of them. According to her file, Phasma was 6ft3 but she must have been wearing heels tonight because Poe looked positively minuscule.</p><p>“That’s my drink.” She said to Poe, her voice delightfully husky.</p><p>“I’m just amazed that they have Jura here, it’s a rare find.” Poe commented. Jura wasn’t his favourite whiskey but he put that down to having an uncultured palette. Scottish whisky wasn’t something to turn your nose up at so he slightly exaggerated his fondness for the drink.</p><p>“I had it ordered in specially.” She told him as the bartender came back and deposited Poe’s drink on the counter. Poe picked it up and tipped it to Phasma.</p><p>“Well cheers to you.” She smiled softly and clinked his glass with hers.</p><p>“You’re a new face, I’ve never met you before have I?” She remarked.</p><p>“No, I’m here with a friend.” Poe told her. She nodded thoughtfully.</p><p>“A female friend?” She asked him, a tinkle in her eye. Ben snorted slightly watching the scene from the van, how did this work every time? Poe chuckled, feigning bashfulness before returning her mischievous twinkle.</p><p>“No, just a friend.” Phasma slid a little closer to him to whisper in his ear, right into his ear piece.</p><p>“Glad to hear it.” She whispered flirtatiously. Ben was almost about to mute Poe’s earpiece. He still hadn’t recovered from the last time a beautiful woman whispered in Poe’s ear. Ben was too innocent for the things he heard that day. This time however, he saw Phasma nod her head at someone over Poe’s shoulder. He flicked between cameras and saw the security guards stationed by the bar move towards Poe.</p><p>“Okay guys, we’ve got trouble.” Ben told them through the comms. Poe looked around as the two burly guards swept him up under his arms, pinning his hand behind his back. At this, Finn sprung to attention. Finn’s heart rate jumped slightly on Ben’s display. Their earpieces did more than just allow the boys to talk to each other, they also fed back to Ben their current heart rate and their location. This last one often came in handy when Poe had disappeared with some girl.</p><p>“Don’t forget his friend too.” Phasma said, indicating towards Finn. Unlike his partner, Finn came quietly. “Get them out of here.” Phasma said, waving her hand dismissively. As Finn is escorted out the back exit, Poe being dragged scrambling behind him, Phasma picks up Poe’s whisky glass and swirls it around a little before drinking it. “No use wasting great scotch.”</p><p>“Guys, want me to do something?” Ben exclaims into their ears, he can see them being taken out the back door of the hotel on his cameras. He started to shuck off his headphones when Poe talked back to him.</p><p>“No, stay where you are, we’ll be out in five!” The burly guard shoved Poe, his huge shoulder in his back causing Poe to make a loud ‘oof’ sound. The first guard pushed Finn out the back door and into the alley that ran behind the building, Poe toppling out shortly behind him. Once the two agents were effectively deposited in the gutter, the two guards considered it a job well done and turned to head back inside. That was until Poe opened his big mouth of course.</p><p>“That’s right! Walk away!” He challenged them, their bulky silhouettes pausing in the doorway. Finn rolled his eyes.</p><p>“You want more little man?” The guard asked Poe, who was now realising that their chance to sweep all this under the rug was firmly out the window.</p><p>“Come on fellas.” Finn interjected as the guard took his ugly black blazer off and handed it over to his comrade, who seemed very excited to bear witness to the events that were about to unfold. “We’re out in the alley now yeah? Job done, no harm, no foul.” Finn tried further to calm the situation as the sleeves of the guard’s ill-fitting white shirt were being rolled up past his massive forearms.</p><p>“It’s the ‘no harm’ part that I’m having an issue with.” The man said before socking Poe straight in the mouth. Had it been a lesser man on the receiving end of the punch, they would have probably dropped to the deck. Poe, however, slowly turned his whipped head back towards the guard, softly rubbing his beaten jaw.</p><p>“He’s gonna make me do it, isn’t he?” Poe remarked.</p><p>“It appears so.” Finn sighed dejectedly.</p><p>Quick as a flash, Poe whips his balled fist across the man’s face, the huge man bending over to clutch it in pain. Poe met this with a kick to the man’s stomach and he dropped into the dirty alleyway. Poe looked to Finn and flashed him a satisfied grin, holding his hand out to his partner for a congratulatory high five.</p><p>While the two of them are patting themselves on the back for a job well done, the other guard lunges for Poe, eager to smack the smug look off his face. Poe turns to the man, just as he collapses and joins his friend in the street. Ben’s frozen, wide eyed form stood where the man had. Poe huffed and rolled his eyes.</p><p>“I told you to stay in the van.” He scolded Ben, who although much larger than both Poe and Finn, always took the telling off.</p><p>“You’re welcome.” He responded sarcastically. Poe didn’t answer, he looked to the two men at their feet and nudged Ben’s subdued one with the toe of his shoe.</p><p>“What did you even do to him?” Finn asked. Ben held up a black fountain pen.</p><p>“Tranq pen.”</p><p>“What?! How come you keep all the cool crap?” Poe jumped in. Ben’s eyebrows cross in confusion.</p><p>“There’s literally one in each of your jacket pockets.” He told them. Now they looked confused and patted themselves down, Poe scrambling into the inside pocket of his now dishevelled tuxedo jacket and pulling out a matching pen.</p><p>“Honestly, I just thought this was a pen.” He told Ben and Finn. “I was like what in the hell am I gonna need a pen for?”</p><p>“To sign our death sentences apparently.” Finn said snarkily. Poe gave his partner a playful punch on the arm and grinned.</p><p>“Come on, I would have gotten us out of it easily.” He said. “It was basically already over.”</p><p>“Again, you’re welcome.” Ben said again, even more sarcastically this time making Finn smile. At their feet, one of the men in the heap made a small grumble. “We should probably go.” Ben added.</p><p>“I was gonna say that but you’d probably just ignore it.” Poe said pointedly, smacking Ben in the chest as he strode past him into the street and around the corner. Ben pressed his lips into a line, closed his eyes and took a breath. When he opened them again, Finn was giving him an amused smile.</p><p>“One of these days, I’m gonna smack him.” Finn chuckled.</p><p>“I’d give you 50 bucks to do it.” Finn told him and Ben laughed slightly. Poe came back into view at the end of the alleyway, throwing his hands up in exasperation.</p><p>“Hurry up! We need to get lost pronto! If only there was someone who’s sole purpose was to <em>stay in the van</em> for a quick exit!” He exclaimed facetiously. Ben’s mouth twisted in annoyance and Finn gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.</p><p>“Finn, get your wallet out.”</p><p> </p><p>The following afternoon, Finn sits perched on Ben’s desk. His and Poe’s office sits on one of the higher floors with full glass walls that overlooked the bullpen that housed Ben’s desk. However, being the General’s son was not without its perks. While yes, Ben had measly little cubicle desk in the bullpen that lacked the opulence of Finn’s and Poe’s office, Ben’s little desk allowed him to essentially be his own receptionist.</p><p>Behind the cubicle was Ben’s lab. Always locked, highly secured using security systems of Ben’s own making. No one had tripped the system yet, mainly out of fear of what would happen to them. Ben’s intellect was well known but he was also very secretive in his projects so the mystery was security enough.</p><p>Finn observed Ben, trying his hardest in the bustling coffee area to get a date with Connix ... again. Ben was nice guy sure, brilliant too but for some reason when he spoke to beautiful women he took that big brain of his and threw it in the trash. This was the umpteenth time Ben had tried to ask her out, often putting his foot in his mouth so bad that he never actually got around to the asking part.</p><p>“Morning.” Poe says in greeting, approaching Finn with a very large cup of coffee.</p><p>“Afternoon.” Finn replies. Poe joins him perching on Ben’s desk and turns his attention to the same place that Finn’s was currently engaged.</p><p>“Connix again?” Poe said and Finn nodded. “Have they exchanged more than six words this time?” Finn groaned.</p><p>“Yeah but barely, she’s really not giving him much to work with, one word answers.” Finn informed him.</p><p>“Ouch.” Poe said and took a gulp of his coffee, wincing slightly at the burn in his mouth.</p><p>When Ben gave in and started walking back towards them, they stood up straight and busied themselves with bit and bobs on Ben’s desk.</p><p>“Afternoon Poe, slept well I take it?” Ben said.</p><p>“Well,” Poe started “not at first but I popped Ben’s magic sleep pen and it worked a treat.”</p><p>“What?!” Ben exclaimed. Finn starts to laugh and Poe just grins at the two of them. “Jesus Poe, that’s not what that’s for! That’s a high dose of knock out drug!”</p><p>“Well, I feel fantastic so thanks man.” Poe smacks the irate Ben on the shoulder. Ben huffs out an exasperated sighs and walks around his desk to plonk his large body in the chair. “So, what happened with Connix?”</p><p>“Same as usual,” Ben said, his ears flushing a little pink. “Absolutely nothing.” Finn pats Ben’s shoulder comfortingly.</p><p>“Sorry buddy.” He said and he genuinely meant it. Ben was one of his closest friends and for some reason Ben just could not articulate to women how brilliant he was. It sometimes made Finn a little sad leaving the office late at night and seeing Ben’s lab light still on.</p><p>“Nah, it’s cool. It’s not like Kaydel is <em>the one</em>. I haven’t had that moment yet.” Poe brows furrowed in a mixture of emotions; confusion, disgust and disappointment.</p><p>“What is this, an episode of <em>Hannah Montana</em>?” He said mockingly. Ben shot him an annoyed look.</p><p>“What do you mean? What moment?” Finn asked, attempting so sound far more supportive than his rather blunt partner.</p><p>“Awh you know, I just always thought that when it was <em>the one</em> I would be left speechless and hear 80s love songs when I saw her and all the cheesy crap you see in movies.” Poe scoffed but Finn paid him no mind.</p><p>“That’s just in movies though buddy, it’s not something that just happens.” Finn said softly.</p><p>“I know.” Ben sighed and smiled at his friend. “It’d be nice though.” He added and Finn gave him a reassuring smile back. They could almost hear Poe rolling his eyes.</p><p>Ben’s monitor burst into life and they were startled by a rather furious looking General Organa.</p><p>“What in the hell was that ludicrous display last night!?” She snapped, her gravelly voice commanding their immediate attention.</p><p>“Should we be sitting for this?” Poe said, a little too light heartedly, Ben and Finn shot him wide eyed warning glares.</p><p>“Shut up Poe!” She snapped, fury flaring momentarily in her eyes. She took a breath to calm herself before speaking again. “Let me get this straight. According to <em>your</em> report, you not only got zero information, you caused a scene, got kicked out, were seen by the target and left two bodies in the alley!?” Her sentence started out calm and progressively got more agitated towards the end.</p><p>“Well…” Poe started, clearly about to attempt to talk himself out of his mess. General Organa held up her had to the camera before Poe could start.</p><p>“Don’t even bother Poe, you had cameras in your bowties, any lie you spout will be thoroughly quashed.” Poe conceded nodding in surrender.</p><p>“To be fair though, the bodies weren’t dead. Just sleeping, <em>really</em> sleeping.”</p><p>“I should bloody well hope not!” She snapped. She huffed and squeezed the bridge of her nose, a common move whenever she spoke with Poe. “Get your act together sharpish. I’m bringing the new recruit to you in 5.”</p><p>“What?!” Poe exclaimed. “Look, I know last night was a mess but I ain’t no babysitter!”</p><p>“First of all <em>Poe Dameron</em>, if I say you’re babysitting then you better learn to braid hair, cause you’re god damn babysitting son!” She snapped at him, shutting him down. “Secondly, she’s clearly not the one who needs babysitting!” The General shut the call off before Poe could fire cheek back at her.</p><p>Ben had come to think of Poe and Finn as his brothers, as such Ben took great pleasure in seeing his mother berate and scold one of them rather than him. His and Finn’s satisfied smirks only annoyed Poe further.</p><p>“She’s punishing us isn’t she?”</p><p>“She’s punishing one of us.” Ben remarked, earning himself a very pissed off glare.</p><p>“You can’t just add a new person to the team, it’ll ruin our whole … dynamic.” Poe argued.</p><p>“You mean you shooting your mouth off and getting your partner in trouble? Don’t forget who had to save your asses.” Ben countered, their bickering amusing Finn.</p><p>“Yeah, dynamic.” Poe said, Ben shaking his head.</p><p>“Hang on,” Finn stopped chuckling to interject. “Did she say ‘she’?”</p><p> </p><p>(♫ Do You Believe in Love – Huey Lewis &amp; the News ♫)</p><p> </p><p>Ben <em>must</em> have dosed off at some point because any other explanation other than him being mid dream sequence seemed improbable. It was surely the only explanation for what he saw next.</p><p>The most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his whole life walked towards them, almost in slow motion, almost as if there was wind blowing through her hair. Ben’s breath stopped. About 5ft10 in her heeled ankle boots, her long legs stretched for miles. She glowed, as if she were made of pure light and Ben felt a shiver run up his spine. Her bronze hair, curled to her shoulders, bounced when she walked and she flashed him the most devastatingly gorgeous smile.</p><p>“Well, well, what do we have here.” Poe’s voice said from somewhere outside of Ben’s dreamscape, Ben not even acknowledging him as the girl drew nearer, his mother at her side directing her towards them.</p><p>Finn noted Ben’s immobility almost immediately, this was going to be interesting. Certainly, the girl was gorgeous but Finn was more worried about keeping Poe’s flirtatious nature in check. Poe’s interest was definitely already piqued.</p><p>“Rey, these are my best boys.” Leia started with her introductions. “Although sometimes they make me doubt it.” The General eyed Poe, Poe who was leaning past his superior to take the hand of the new girl.</p><p>“Poe, Poe Dameron.” He held his hand out to the girl and she took it, a light blush flushing her cheeks when Poe kissed the back of her hand.</p><p>“Rey Johnson, I’ve heard a lot about you Mr Dameron. Not all good things.” Rey gave him a quick wink. Unknowingly, Rey was playing to Poe’s already massive ego.</p><p>“I’m glad.” Poe said, his voice lowered the way he does when he’s feeling seductive.</p><p>“Watch it Poe,” Leia cut in. “Rey could wipe the floor with you.”</p><p>“I’d like to see that.” Poe drawled with a grin, Rey seemingly unfazed gave him a smile in return. Finn took the opportunity to cut in.</p><p>“Finn Storm.” He said, holding his hand out to her and she shook it eagerly.</p><p>“It’s great to finally meet you Mr Storm.” She grinned at him and he chuckled.</p><p>“Please, it’s just Finn and that’s just Poe by the way, I don’t think he said.” Finn nodded his head at his partner who was eyeing the newbie up and down.</p><p>“You can still call me Mr Dameron in private though.” He said with a wink. Finn rolled his eyes and shook his head disapprovingly.</p><p>“And this is Ben, he’s my son.” Leia said, indicating to Ben who was borderline catatonic. His eyes hadn’t left Rey since she arrived and he wasn’t sure if he’d breathed since then either. Even his mother’s brief introduction didn’t snap him out of his bliss, love songs playing in his head as he gazed at Rey. “Ben.” Leia said again, attempting to snap him back to reality.</p><p>Finn nudged him hard on the shoulder and he didn’t as much as snap back to reality as he did crash back. The eyes of his mother, Poe, Finn and Rey’s sparkling ones all baring into his soul. His mouth was dry, Rey’s pretty features growing puzzled, waiting for him to say something.</p><p><em>Say something Ben! Anything! Say anything!</em> His brain screamed at him.</p><p>“I’m Ben. I do tech.” He almost barked. All coherent sentences completely escaped him. Poe snorted from somewhere to his right but Ben’s entire focus was on Rey, his breath baited. She giggled.</p><p>“It’s a pleasure Ben.” She said lightly. Her smile for him was so warm and genuine that Ben didn’t bother to try any more words, save himself the embarrassment. It was only now when she said his name that he finally noticed her accent. She was British. And his name on her tongue did something extraordinary to him inside.</p><p>Finn couldn’t be sure but there was something … affectionate about the way that Rey looked at Ben.</p><p>“Well that was bloody disastrous.” Leia told them, addressing mainly Poe and Ben. “Come Rey, I’ll show you the training room while this lot gets a grip. I want Rey <em>properly</em> briefed by the end of the day.”</p><p>“I’d be happy to <em>debrief</em> Rey, just us, my office, around 4, yeah Rey?” Poe quipped with a flirty wink, his words dripping with sexual innuendo.</p><p>“I swear Poe, don’t make me smack you.” Leia warned as she leads away the now fully blushing Rey. Poe grins wickedly until they’re out of ear shot and turns to Ben and Finn.</p><p>“You didn’t even make it to six words this time Ben!” Poe chided him and all at once Ben felt like he was able to breathe again. He gasped and dropped his head into his hands and groaned. “I don’t even know why I tried so hard, you two basically knocked yourselves out of the running.” Poe laughed.</p><p>Finn however, watched Ben. He’d been in a trance the entire time Rey spoke to them and now he was practically screaming into his hands.</p><p>“What song was it Ben?” Finn asked knowing full well what ailed his friend. Ben didn’t look up from his hands, just groaned again before answering.</p><p>“Huey Lewis.” Ben mumbled into his palms.</p><p>Finn grinned at his partner who watched them annoyed and wide eyed.</p><p>“No.” Poe said in disbelief. “Does that mean she…?” He didn’t finish. Finn nodded and grinned. Poe huffed in exasperation. “Damn it.”</p><p>Despite Poe’s obvious intentions beforehand, now his exasperation came from those intentions being well and truly dashed. Despite their <em>very</em> frequent bickering, Ben was like Poe’s brother and even though Poe thought Ben’s ideas of women and love were absurd, if Ben thought this girl Rey was <em>the one</em> Poe would not try anything with her. Much to Poe’s disappointment.</p><p> </p><p>Rey wasn’t sure when the guys were going to get back to her about her briefing, she hoped they still would. It’d be pretty humiliating to be hosted on day one of the new job. However, she was now very glad that she thought to bring work out gear when she saw the high tech training room at the Resistance facilities. She tried out all their state of the art gym equipment and now that the training room was empty, she took advantage of it and moved over to her yoga.</p><p>Considering how much effort she had put into choosing her initial outfit, she was glad to shed it for some comfort. However, she was glad she put the effort in, if Dameron’s comments were any indication, she looked great. She honestly hadn’t planned to get bogged down with all the dating malarkey but that was before she met tech Ben.</p><p>“You really think she’s the one?” Poe asked Finn as they leaned against the window looking into the training room observing their new recruit practising her impressive yoga skills in leggings and a sport bra.</p><p>“Honestly? I have no idea.” Finn admitted. “But Ben thinks she is so hands off.” He warned his partner. Rey demonstrated her flexibly by bending over, essentially folding herself in half. Poe groaned at the sight. “Hands off!” Finn warned more forcefully this time.</p><p>“She was flirting with me though!” Poe defended himself.</p><p>“Was she?” Finn said, unconvinced.</p><p>“She winked at me.” Poe retorted.</p><p>“She was more than likely using your over inflated ego to get on your good side, she is trained to read people, you know, as should you be.”</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Poe sounded insulted.</p><p>“If you didn’t have your head so far up your own ass you would have seen that it wasn’t really you that she was making eyes at.” Poe scoffed.</p><p>“Ben?” Poe said and Finn nodded. “Pfft. No chance. She was flirting with me.” Poe’s eyes light up mischievously. “I’ll prove it.” Poe sauntered off towards the training room door. Finn groaned.</p><p>“She’s gonna knock him out.” Finn mumbled and couldn’t help the small smirk that crept onto his lips. <em>Would serve him right.</em></p><p>When Poe pushed through the door, Rey was currently balancing on one hand with her legs straight up in the air. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t think some truly dirty things in that moment and while he was sure he could probably beat Ben in a fight, he’s assured Finn that’s he’d keep his hands off. This was merely and experiment to see if she’d flirt with him again.</p><p>“You seem very acquainted with the training room.” Poe said, casually checking Rey out as she righted herself.</p><p>“Now’s as good a time as any while I wait for my briefing.” Rey jabbed. Poe smiled at her. He stalked closer to her.</p><p>At the windows, Finn watched on with eager interest and bang on time Ben rounded the corner.</p><p>“Hey, are we having this briefing not?” Ben asked and Finn held a finger up to his lips and shushed him.</p><p>“Wanna witness something amazing?” Finn asked and motioned to the windows. Ben wandered over curiously and looked down into the training area. Poe was so close to Rey now, his fingers reaching out to stroke the skin of her upper arm.</p><p>“I don’t want to see this.” Ben exclaimed, his brow furrowed, clearly annoyed at Poe’s lack of respect for Ben’s earlier revelation. Ben turns to depart when Finn grabs his shoulders and turns him back to the window.</p><p>“Just wait a second will ya.”</p><p>Poe slowly stroked up and down Rey’s soft caramel skin, pleased with the goose bumps he was able to produce in her.</p><p>“I was thinking, y’know while we wait, we could maybe spar a little bit? Just us two?” He suggested seductively.</p><p> </p><p>(♫ Woman – Wolfmother ♫)</p><p> </p><p>Rey’s lips curled upwards slightly into a devilish smirk as she looked up at Poe through her lashes.</p><p>“Y’know, I would love that.” She drawled in almost a whisper. Poe grinned gleefully. Rey reached up to touch Poe’s hand that was caressing her bicep and stroked her fingers down until she took hold of his wrist. In one swift move that Poe didn’t see coming, Rey had flipped him over and he landed on the mat beneath them on his back with a thud.</p><p>“Oof!” Poe groaned.</p><p>“Holy crap!” Ben exclaimed in amusement.</p><p>“Oh! That’s gotta hurt.” Finn said watching on in delight.</p><p>Poe slowly rolled himself over like an overturned turtle and climbed to his feet. Rey was circling him like a predator, the smile on her face wicked.</p><p>“Oh, so, we’re really sparring are we?” He said, only allowing a tiny amount of disappointment to seep into his words. Rey shrugged nonchalantly.</p><p>“That’s what you wanted wasn’t?” She smirked again and Poe took that as an invitation. He gave her a courteous nod before swinging his arm at her. She gracefully dodged underneath it and swiped her arm to bat him across the face with the back of her hand. Poe’s bottom lip started to drip blood, he swiped it with his tongue, continuing as if it were nothing.</p><p>“Agile.” Poe commented, impressed. “I like that.”</p><p>“I bet you do.” Rey quipped and shot him a wink. It was like she was taunting him, knowing that he wanted a flirt from her but sure that no one now would believe him. She was wicked, he could see it in the glint in her eyes and if he were an Average Joe, he could see himself being as besotted with her as Ben was.</p><p>Poe whipped his leg up, his kick intended for the middle of Rey’s stomach but her nimble hands caught his ankle mid swing and pushed him backwards. He stumbled and almost landed on his ass but caught himself. She was quick but still dainty, the advantage Poe had here was brute strength.</p><p>With all his power, he barrelled at her, his shoulder colliding with her stomach and knocking her off her feet. Poe panted, looking down at Rey who clutched her stomach and gasped for air.</p><p>“Now’s usually the time where you would yield.” He tells her gloating. He turns to look at his audience of Finn and Ben the latter of whom is waiting with baited breath. Finn however just smiles. Poe opens his arms wide, grinning, clearly pleased with himself. His gloating completely distracts him from Rey’s leg swiping his out from under him. As soon as he hits the deck, Rey flips over and straddles his hips, her forearm across his collarbone pressing down hard.</p><p>“You weren’t winded at all were you?” Poe groans. Rey grins. She leans down, pressing into his chest with her arm as she brings her lips to his ear.</p><p>“Now’s usually the time where you would yield.” She whispers, her breath brushing Poe’s earlobe sending a shiver down his spine.</p><p>“God, you’re hot.” He manages, Rey’s response is to press harder into his chest. He groans again.</p><p>“They look cosy.” Ben comments, disappointment dripping from every word. Finn chuckles.</p><p>“She’s messing with him.” He explained to his friend.</p><p>“You think?”</p><p>“Poe always thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room. Seconds into meeting Rey, he dove right in with the cheesy flirts and she figured him out instantly. Then all she had to do was play on his ego.”</p><p>“And he fell for it.”</p><p>“Exactly.” Finn smirks. “I think Poe’s met his match in Rey.”</p><p>“She’s really something.” Ben says, Finn isn’t sure if Ben even knew that he’d said it out loud but he didn’t mention it.</p><p>“You should try talking to her.” Finn said.</p><p>“Yeah, ‘cause that went so well last time.” Ben huffs sarcastically. Finn looks down at his feet, hiding the small smile on his face.</p><p>“Don’t think about it so hard. You got something you wanna say to her? Just say it.”</p><p>“What if what I wanna say is stupid?” Ben asks, insecurity pouring out of him. Finn pats him on the arm.</p><p>“Honestly Ben, I think she’ll be into anything you say, no matter how stupid.” Ben looked at him, eyebrows knotted in confusion. Finn gave him a wink and Ben’s expression starts to brighten at his sudden enlightenment. “Now let’s get down there before she kills him.” Ben chuckles.</p><p>Poe groans under her pressure but Rey refuses to let up until he yields to her. Establishing her dominance in this matter is very important to her. He flirted around with her, thinking he was going to get by her with a flash of a smile and some naughty words. No chance. She wasn’t going to be lead around by a man because of her pretty face.</p><p>The doors to the training room swing open and Finn saunters in with Ben following closely behind him.</p><p>“Ben!” Rey exclaims, startled as she scrambles off Poe and back to her feet. She quickly tries to sort her hair, her chest and cheeks flushing red in her embarrassment. Poe takes a deep breath at her feet, couching and spluttering to get the air back into his lungs.</p><p>Finn shoots Ben a quick smirk and Ben, emboldened by both Finn and Rey, finally managed to speak his first full sentence to her.</p><p>“Hey Rey, we’re ready for the briefing whenever you are.” He said. Rey smiled, a genuine warm smile and nodded. She walked towards him, walking right past Finn paying him absolutely no notice. Ben motioned towards the door and he followed Rey out.</p><p>“That was impressive.” He told her honestly.</p><p>“You saw that?” Her cheeks were already flushed but her tone suggested that if it were possible, she would have blushed more.</p><p>“Yeah, it was great.”</p><p>“Think he learned his lesson?” She asked him and Ben scoffed.</p><p>“Not a chance.” Rey laughed and the sound made Ben smile.</p><p>“Oh, I uh… should probably get changed first.” Rey said.</p><p>“No, no, you look great.” Ben attempted to reassure her. She giggled and Ben winced when he realised that he was complimenting her on what was essentially her bra. “Sorry. I didn’t mean- uh, here.” Ben shrugged off his orange zipper and handed it to Rey.</p><p>Rey slipped her arms into the massive sleeves and zipped up the front. She tried her absolute hardest not to let her eyes wander over the large body that usually fitted into this hoodie but when Ben turned away, shaking his head at himself, she found that she really couldn’t help but stare.</p><p>As Ben and Rey wandered off together, actually exchanging words, Finn held his hand out to his partner. Poe grasped his hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.</p><p>“Come on. You can’t tell me you didn’t see it that time!” Finn said. Poe nodded.</p><p>“Okay, I saw that.” He said, still little breathless. “She couldn’t have gotten away from me any faster if she tried.”</p><p>“I told ya.” Finn said gloating.</p><p>“Damn.” Poe sighed. “I thought I was in there as well.” Finn scoffed.</p><p>“At what point when she was kicking your ass did you think you were in there?”</p><p>“Hey! You didn’t hear her! See the little winks.” Finn shook his head disapprovingly and walked off. “I swear to god Finn, she winked at me again!”</p><p>“Sure she did.” He brushed Poe off sarcastically.</p><p> </p><p>The team assemble in Ben’s lab. It’s huge, pristine and looks like someone smashed together a high tech industrial lab with a comic book store. A still sweaty Rey sits herself on an oversized, puffy couch beside Finn with Poe settled on his other as Ben brings up photos on the display screen.</p><p>“Okay.” Ben started. Rey’s warm eyes watched him intently and he found it much easier to speak if he didn’t look at her. She looked beautiful. Her cheeks were still flushed pink, her hair was tied back, the small flyaway hairs at her neck curled into ringlets from her sweat and his hoodie positively drowned her. He couldn’t look at her anymore. “Sheev Palpatine, I’m sure you’re familiar with him Rey?”</p><p>“Yeah, notorious crime boss and arms dealer.” She confirmed.</p><p>“<em>Deceased</em> notorious crime boss and arms dealer.” Ben said. “Or at least, so we thought. His company Empire Ltd. was suspected to be at the centre of a major arms dealing ring, syphoning off charitable donations and money from the board of directors to do so. His sudden death made it far more difficult to prosecute. When his company reported his death 6 years ago, the company’s subsidiaries Snoke Industries and Phasma Tech broke off with some reportedly bad blood between them and unsurprisingly, things seemed to calm down. Both companies were suspected in participating in Empire’s criminal dealings, mainly dealing with the movement of money and export and import of weapons etc. etc. so with the dissolution of the organisation there was nothing to go on.”</p><p>Rey listened to Ben with rapt attention. Despite her awkward first meeting with him, she was beginning to see that he really was intelligent and her eyes sometimes wandered around the lab taking in his tools and workstations, his surprisingly beautiful penmanship on whiteboards depicting things that she had no understanding of and his video games that he had piled up next to the couch. He was an impressive man and the fact the he was also incredibly beautiful and his voice made her hair stand up on end was a bonus.</p><p>“Recently however, Snoke Industries and Phasma Tech seemed to have buried the hatchet and have joined together under a new parent company The First Order.”</p><p>“Just a tad suspicious then.” Rey adds and Ben nods.</p><p>“Exactly. Suddenly they’ve been getting <em>huge</em> amounts of shipments from various countries across the globe and we can never intercept them. Their paperwork is always flawless, their workers are well paid and their security is even better paid. Our recent angle has been to worm our way into one of the companies in an attempt to join the production line.”</p><p>“Hence Poe’s flirting getting us kicked out of Gwendoline Phasma’s monthly party last night.” Finn commented, eyeing Poe’s annoyed face. Rey giggled.</p><p>“I take it you didn’t find out anything then <em>Mr Dameron</em>.” Rey drawled, giggling slightly. Poe bits his lip in annoyance much to the amusement of the rest of the group.</p><p>“She throws a massive party every month.” Finn explained. “We were hoping to use one of them as our way in but we had no idea how she was inviting people to them. We found no mail correspondence, no e-vites, nothing. So we just showed up.”</p><p>“Well at least now we know that you don’t get invited back when you saunter in, order a glass of her favourite scotch and flirt disgracefully with her.” Ben chided and Rey laughed. He liked making her do that.</p><p>“And we know that for next time.” Poe finally said.</p><p> </p><p>When Ben wrapped up his brief, Poe and Finn filed out of his lab, eager to get out of work and to a bar most likely. The boys rarely went home alone. Ben gave Rey a rather hefty manila folder full of all the information they’d talked about over the past hour. Rey gave him a rather bashful smile and turned to leave before stopping suddenly.</p><p> </p><p>(♫ Did I Say That Out Loud – Barenaked Ladies ♫)</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I almost forgot.” Rey unzipped the bright orange hoodie that she’d gotten ever so comfortable in but Ben shook his head and waved his hand at her.</p><p>“No, don’t. Keep it. Looks much better on you anyways.” He said, the tips of his ears flushing a little pink. Rey nodded and smiled up at him.</p><p>After a moment, Rey broke the silence.</p><p>“What you playing?” She nodded at the TV set up by the couch, video games piled next to it.</p><p>“Outlast, at the moment.”</p><p>“I love Outlast! Can I watch?” Rey said excitedly.</p><p>“Watch me play Outlast?” Ben questioned, slightly baffled.</p><p>“Yeah, is that okay?” Ben smiled and nodded. “I’ll order us a pizza if you like. Can I order a pizza here? Is that allowed?” Ben chuckled.</p><p>“It’s cool, I know a guy.” He told her.</p><p>Rey sat with a large pizza on her lap, offering Ben slices every so often in between jump scares. As she scoffed a huge slice, Ben took a moment to sneak a glance at her. The situation that he found himself in was truly absurd. In his lab, playing horror games with the most beautiful girl in the world curled up next to him eating pizza in his hoodie. He was starting to think he’d gotten himself with one of his tranq pens because this was the best dream he’d ever had.</p><p> </p><p>It's the cold air on his face that wakes him. He startles awake, realising he’s not at home in his bed. No, he’s lying on the uneven walkway that lines the river, the bracing breeze coming from it bringing goose bumps to his skin. He’s still in his clothes that he wore to work that day and judging by the height of the moon, it was only after midnight. What the hell happened? He went to the bar with Poe after work but he called it a night around ten and Poe quickly found a young lady to spend the rest of the evening with. He couldn’t remember what happened after he left the bar. Did he get home at all? What had he done in the past few hours? Finn scrambled to his feet and made his way back into the city. How he had ended up here, he had no idea but no one was going to find out about this until her figured it out.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Episode 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Some shiping crates of major interest to the team enter the country and it leads them to the 4th of July rally racing at Kessel Run Speedway. Poe gets his chance to shine as a racing driver and the rest of the trio track down the shipments. They're led on a fast paced goose chase but Ben and Rey somehow manage to get a quiet moment together above the city. A handsome stranger enters the fray, will he mess with the harmony of the group?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm back for episode 2! Hey again CW, do you still have my number?</p><p>The playlist has been updated for this chapter, here's the link again!<br/>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74CsZkeOOggFe7X2qktzgP?si=u0ylegZaTtyGzN5dchKPjw</p><p>making the playlist is becoming an obsession!</p><p>Come and say hi on Twitter! I'm @hannahmargaretx</p><p>more links of interest in notes at the end!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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<hr/><p> </p><p>(♫Cherry Bomb – The Runaways ♫)</p><p> </p><p>Poe was becoming Rey’s favourite sparring partner. Finn was good too, he was a bulky guy and his movements were calculated, meticulous and disciplined, so when he behaved unpredictably, Rey never saw it coming. They took turns in winning their sparring matches, sometimes Rey coming out on top and other times Finn would teach her a thing or two.</p><p>Finn’s wins against Rey only added fuel to Poe’s fire. Since his embarrassing defeat to her on day one, he’s spent the last few weeks trying to win against her, to no avail. Poe was strong yes, he was also just as well trained as his partner but for some reason Poe’s attitude when fighting Rey always let him down. He always started out cocky, sometimes flirtatiously so, but when they got down to it he always lost it. His annoyance that Finn could beat Rey and he couldn’t drove him mad. In the end he always resorted back to lashing out and brute force.</p><p>His heavy, power based attacks seemed so slow to Rey’s eyes. It was like she saw what he was about to do before he’d even thought about doing it. A ham fisted punch was easily dodged. A clumsy swing of an arm was quickly deflected. A heavy footed step was simply tripped. Rey was just too quick for him and Poe hadn’t seemed to grasp this yet, despite his numerous losses. But there was something about his aggressive, unpredictable movements that Rey loved responding to. She genuinely had fun and often made a quick buck from the boy’s club who for some reason always thought that <em>this time</em> Poe would win. Rey had been upgrading her wardrobe with her winnings each time.</p><p>Poe huffed, sweat dripping from his nose, his tanned skin slick with his assertion. His balled fists raised in front of his face, his eyes narrowed watching her, waiting for her next move. Rey winked at him and tried a couple of quick jabs which he deflected with his forearms. Rey jabbed again and this time Poe grabbed her, a large hand wrapping around her wrist and he yanked her forward. He grabbed her slender neck with his right hand, applying a little pressure to the sides of her neck.</p><p>He wasn’t going to hurt her, he knew that she’d only get a little light headed. He knew this from experience, his “extra-curricular activities” was ‘not safe for work’ chat as Finn frequently told him. Rey gasped, her hands grabbing for his forearm. He was sure she would tap out any moment now. He looked at her face, waiting for her to say the words, her cheeks flushing very pink. But her admission of defeat never came, her lips curled upwards at the corners and Poe’s face barely managed to convey confusion before Rey’s slender leg swung up and around Poe’s body, the rest of her following after bending Poe over and pulling him into an uncomfortable position. His body bend over, pressed down by Rey who had his hand that was previously wrapped around her neck in her little grasp, pulling his arm tight behind him. Her heel raised and she slammed it down on his back, Poe thumping to the floor with a gasp.</p><p>“I love it when she does that.” Ben said beside Finn who watched on bemused. Finn had been here a while but at what point Ben showed up, he had no idea. For being so tall, the man was oddly silent. Finn chuckled.</p><p>“I think Poe does too with the amount of times Rey has beat his ass.” Ben huffed a laugh, watching on as Poe tapped the mat below him in defeat, Rey easing up and letting him up off his face. She looked up, her flushed face smiling. An excited, albeit slightly nervous, smile that she saved especially for Ben. She gave him a small wave and Ben waved back. Finn chuckled, it was like watching two school kids, both of them blushing aggressively at the other’s attention. “Have you asked her out yet?” Finn added and Ben almost choked on his own breath. Coughing and spluttering before he could answer.</p><p>“What?! No!” Ben barked.</p><p>“And why the hell not?” Finn questioned.</p><p>“We hardly know each other!” Ben almost squawked. Finn laughed and shook his head.</p><p>“First of all, that’s why you go on a date. Secondly, yeah you do! She’s been in your bloody lab playing video games most nights.”</p><p>“I also play video games with EmpireStrikes80 most nights but I’m not gonna ask him on a date.” Finn rolled his eyes at his friend.</p><p>“I’m telling ya Ben, don’t wait too long.” He warned and received a suggestive punch on the arm from Ben as Rey wandered over to them.</p><p>“Hey Ben!” Rey said excitedly, her voice much higher than usual, Finn supresses a smile. “What brings you here?”</p><p>“I was actually just coming to find you guys, I’ve got something to show you.” He replied, his pink face looking at his feet. Rey grinned.</p><p>“Great, let me just collect my winnings.” Rey turned and swanned over to the grumbling spectators that sat on the benches lining the training room. “Pay up boys!” She declared gleefully, hand out to them. One after one, the men begrudgingly slapped 10 dollar bills into her hand. Finn laughed. One day they would learn. She wandered back over to them, counting her winnings as she did so. Behind her, Poe was climbing to his feet, clutching his aching back, arm, face and every other part of him Rey had assaulted.</p><p>“You guys go ahead,” Finn started nodding towards his partner, “I’ll gather up what’s left of grandpa here.” Both Rey and Ben gave a small laugh and a look at Poe who grumbled towards them in pain before they turned and left together. Finn sauntered over to meet his partner who hobbled towards him.</p><p>“I almost had her that time.” Poe said in his defence when Finn flashed him an amused smirk. Finn’s expression turned into a concerned nod.</p><p>“’Course you did buddy.” Finn assured him condescendingly, giving him a pat on the shoulder, which Poe winced at. Poe shot him a dirty look and Finn laughed a full belly laugh. “C’mon man, she’s cleaning up with you.” He said, gesturing to the Resistance spies sitting with empty pockets. Poe sighed.</p><p>“I know.” He looked at his friend. “How much did you lose this time buddy?”</p><p>“Oh, I made $20.”</p><p>“What?! You bet on Rey?!” Poe snapped.</p><p>“Uh, yeah.” Finn said. “It’s easy money.” Poe scowled and Finn laughed.</p><p> </p><p>In the few weeks that Rey had been working with the agency, Ben had seen her in many get ups. A different persona each day; a librarian, dock worker, zoo keeper and even a wiener girl at the local hotdog place but Ben found post-training Rey to be his favourite look. Her dewy, flushed skin with its sprinkle of freckles. The way her sweat cause the hair falling loose from her hair tie to spiral into ringlets and how she always seemed to wear an oversized pop culture t-shirt that Ben loved. If he allowed himself to be egotistical, he would have thought she wore them specifically so they could talk about them together.</p><p>Today she was wearing a grey, shapeless t-shirt with a little Squirtle peeking out of the breast pocket. Ben felt his heart clench at the thought of a 13-year-old Ben, lanky with too big ears playing Pokemon on his Gameboy alone in his bedroom, dreaming of a girl like Rey. He allowed his mind to wander at the thought of a young Rey. Surely she would have never looked twice at someone like Ben, certainly she would have been so beautiful even then that Ben would have never even tried. Thinking of himself now, nervous and tense around her, unable to take Finn’s suggestion despite how much he wanted to, Ben wasn’t sure if he had grown out of his 13-year-old insecurity at all.</p><p> </p><p>Finn and Poe caught up to them as Ben let them into his lab and the three of them assembled on the couch while Ben went to the computer. He awakened the screen and on the display screen enlarged photos popped into existence.</p><p>“Okay Benji, what we looking at here?” Poe said impatiently.</p><p>“First off, don’t call me Benji.” Ben shuts him down. “Secondly, what you’re looking at it is brand new shipments into the country addressed to one Gwendoline Phasma.” Ben said matter-of-factly.</p><p>Ben clicks through the photos showing very large crates being offloaded from a cargo ship, photos of Phasma’s name on the shipping labels and their identification codes. Rey grinned.</p><p>“Well done Ben!” She commended him and Ben smiled.</p><p>“Yeah, good job man. How’d you get these?” Finn reiterated.</p><p>“I made a friend down at the docks.” Ben said proudly and Poe snorted.</p><p>“I wouldn’t say that too loudly if I were you.” Poe remarked, scoffing. Rey elbowed him in the ribs. Ben narrows his eyes at Poe and gives him an overly fake chuckle.</p><p>“A couple of Benjamin Franklins a week and he gives me a shout when anything with Phasma or Snoke’s name on it comes through the docks.”</p><p>“That’s brilliant Ben!” Rey says excitedly and Ben’s cheeks flush.</p><p>“Yes, yes, Ben’s amazing.” Poe brushes Rey’s excitement off. “Where were the crates heading then? Phasma Tech I take it?” Ben smirks.</p><p>“No actually. Poe, you’re gonna love this.” Ben clicked to the next image which was a close up of the crates’ delivery details. “They’re heading to Kessel Run Speedway.”</p><p>“Awh yes!” Both Poe and Rey exclaim at the same time and they turn to eye each other suspiciously.</p><p>“Another random address? First the public library, then the zoo and that wiener place? What are they up to?” Finn asks puzzled. Ben shrugs.</p><p>“I duhnno but every other time we’ve been too far behind them, this time we have the opportunity to catch the crates before they make them disappear, get inside them.” Finn nods understanding.</p><p>“When were these photos taken?” He asks.</p><p>“First thing this morning. The speedway has an open race this weekend for the 4<sup>th</sup> of July celebrations. Hundreds of people from across the country will be there to try their hand at rally racing.” Ben informs him.</p><p>“That’s a lot of hustle and bustle to move some shipments around unnoticed.” Finn muses and Ben nods in agreement.</p><p>Barely listening, Poe jabs a finger at Rey.</p><p>“Hang on, what were you ‘Awh yeah’-ing at?” He asks her, no, more demands of her.</p><p>“Well you’re gonna need a driver aren’t you?” Rey grins and Poe scoffs.</p><p>“You?” Poe questions, chuckling amused.</p><p>“Uh, yes.” Rey answers pointedly. Poe shakes his head.</p><p>“Nuh uh. I’m the racing driver here sweetheart.”</p><p>“You wish.” Rey spits back.</p><p>“Hey you wanna settle this in the training room?” He challenges her.</p><p>“Ha! No worries. Ben, get a helmet ready with my name on it.” Rey retorts her hands balled into fists. Finn stands up and moves to insert himself between the two of them for fear of ripping Ben’s lab apart.</p><p>“Rey.” Ben’s soft voice saying her name completely changes Rey’s demeanour. Her face softens when she looks at him, almost like his voice saying her name casts a spell on her. “As much as I would love to see you in said helmet, unfortunately we’re gonna have to go with Poe on this one.” He said softly, as if taming a furious tiger.</p><p>“What!?” She exclaims.</p><p>“Sorry, Rey but a female racer will draw too much attention, especially a good one which I have no doubt that you are.” Finn jumps in. Rey huffs and sinks back into the couch.</p><p>“That’s so sexist.” She complains.</p><p>“I know, I’m sorry. But you’ll make a hell of a pit crew though.” Ben adds trying to cheer her up and Rey smiles at him sadly.</p><p>“Better luck next time sweetheart.” Poe chuckles and the rage ignites again in Rey’s eyes. She stretches across Finn and grabs the collar of Poe’s sweaty tee in her fist and yanks him forward till they are nose to nose.</p><p>“Call me sweetheart one more time Dameron, I dare you.” She seethes, unaware of Ben and Finn’s amused smiles.</p><p> </p><p>First thing Saturday morning, Finn, Rey and Ben are all in matching pit crew jumps suits. It was easy enough for the General to get them a last minute slot for the racing weekend, undoubtedly lots Benjamin Franklins were involved in that too. Finn had their rally car there before 6am. He had asked Leia where she acquired the car from but she never told him. Finn couldn’t help but imagine the General sneaking one of her husband’s cars out of his overflowing garage to be repainted as a rally car before the crack of dawn. Ben and Rey had been setting up the car in its pit all morning while Finn walked the Kessel Run Speedway, tying to suss out where each team were setting up. Luckily, the newly sponsored First Order team weren’t too far away.</p><p> </p><p>(♫Rock You Like a Hurricane – Scorpion ♫)</p><p> </p><p>It was shortly before the first race of the day before the most obnoxious sounding revved up engine pulled the trio’s attention away from the pit. Poe careens up to the back of the garage and screeches to a halt, the radio in his metallic blue sports car blaring rock music. Poe casually climbs out of the roofless car, striding towards two very grumpy looking pit crew members and Rey whose huge anime eyes were almost bugging out of her head. Poe grins and whips his sunglasses off and chucks them onto the driver’s seat.</p><p>“See something you like?” He drawls. “It’s a 2018 Mclaren-”</p><p>“2018 Mclaren 570s Spider. Twin turbo V8 engine. 570 horsepower. 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds. 204 miles per hour top speed. In Vega Blue.” She finished stepping forward to stroke the paint of the sports car. Poe looked a little surprised but that didn’t mask his smugness. Rey sighed. “I think I’m a little turned on.”</p><p>Ben’s eyebrows shot up almost into his hair and Poe laughed.</p><p>“It has that effect on people.”</p><p>“Can I have a go?” Rey asked him eagerly and he scoffed back at her.</p><p>“Ha! No chance.” He said, stuffing the key in his pocket. Rey slid over to him, pressing her svelte body against Poe’s, stroking one finger down his neck.</p><p>“Please?” She whispered to him, her voice airy and seductive. Poe’s breath hitched and closed his eyes. “I promise I’ll be gentle.” She breathed the words into his ear, her hand now trailing down his chest. Absentmindedly, Poe’s hands came to rest on Rey’s hips, totally melting under her. It was only when her petite hand inched towards his jacket pocket that he snapped back to reality. He gripped her waist and picked her up, only to deposit her around 6ft away from his car.</p><p>“Nice try, very nice try.” He scolded at her petted look and stomped off. Rey turned to Finn and Ben who were laughing uncontrollably as a stormy Poe strode past them, shoving the car key into Finn’s hand. Rey giggled.</p><p>“I was so close as well!”</p><p>“You really were.” Ben declared, still chuckling.</p><p> </p><p>Poe gets suited and booted in his racing gear as Rey looks on in envy and Finn recites orders through his headset. Rey, Ben and Poe check their headsets and confirm that they can all hear each other, as well as the race stats. Even though they were here today to do a job, not win a race, Poe was determined to do both.</p><p>“Okay, to get the most out of our excursion, Poe, you’ll need to do well enough in the heats this morning to get into the semi-finals this afternoon.”</p><p>“No problem.” Poe remarked back.</p><p>“While the heats are happening, I’m gonna remain by the track, keep an eye on the First Order team. Also make sure their generous benefactor doesn’t stop by and spot the greasy barfly she had thrown out of her party.”</p><p>“I’m gonna assume you’re referring to yourself there Finn.” Poe clapped back, Rey and Ben smirking into their headsets.</p><p>“Sure buddy.” Finn said sarcastically. “Rey, Ben, you rummage around and see what you can find. Don’t be seen, if getting to the crates is gonna get you in trouble, leave it. If we can get eyes on them at all great, if we can see what’s inside that so important to be dropped off at a race track, even better.”</p><p>“Got it.” Ben confirms and Rey nods at him in agreement.</p><p>“Meet back here after the heats, you’re still a pit crew remember. We’ll catch up then, see what you’ve found. Providing Poe keeps us in the running.”</p><p>“Pfft, please.” He scoffs.</p><p>“Good. Okay, split up.” Finn declares and Rey and Ben head away from the track as Poe slides himself into the rally car and slowly drives it out to the starting line. The rest of the pit crews filter out towards the track to keep an eye on the race. In theory, they shouldn’t be needed until their driver finishes the race but considering only 6 of 12 drivers get through the heats, it can get pretty brutal out there. Which is where they come in.</p><p>This allowed Rey and Ben at least a little freedom to investigate. Teams were very protective of their technology so fully poking around the pits would only get them into bother. Luckily, the crates they were looking for were pretty conspicuous and they knew where to start looking.</p><p> </p><p>If the First Order team was purely a cover for smuggling weapons, they certainly didn’t race like it. They were good, really good. Much to Poe’s dismay. For the first two laps of the heats, Poe was stuck in their tailwind in second place, unable to swing out to pass them and the desperation of the others drivers was starting to show. It started as little nudges here and there. Nothing Poe couldn’t handle but as the third lap got underway, the drivers behind him started to clip the back end of his car, the back wheels starting to drift when they did. Poe recovered it when they did but they weren’t going to relent. He was in the way of them passing the First Order car. In his mirrors, he could see two cars beginning to flank him.</p><p>“They’re gonna hit you from both sides.” Finn barked through Poe’s headset.</p><p>“I’m aware Finn!” He yelled back.</p><p>“Well do something about it! The General will shoot us both if we total the car in the first heat!”</p><p>“Son of bitch, okay!” Poe snapped and eyed his mirrors as the cars either side of him took aim of him. He slammed his breaks and the two cars sped past him and careened into each other. The one that had been on his right hand side spun out and the tail of the car clipped the First Order car. The First Order driver didn’t recover as quickly as Poe could and Poe ceased the opportunity presented to him. Accelerated to 60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds and pushed faster until he sped into first place. He took the final lap easy, making sure to avoid the debris he left behind as he passed.</p><p> </p><p>The crates were not inconspicuous at all. If fact they were left in plain view in the First Order pit. Ben checked the serial numbers on the boxes to confirm that they were the same ones from the photos. They were unopened.</p><p>“Finn.” Rey said through her headset. “We’ve found them.”</p><p>“Great!” He shot back. “What’s in them?”</p><p>“That’s the thing, they’re still sealed.” She told him.</p><p>“So mysterious shipments arrive into the country and are expedited hastily to a rally car race track first thing and the pit crew doesn’t even open them?” Rey nods and hums affirmation. “Okay, fall back to the pit now, Poe’s pulling in. We’ll discuss our next move.”</p><p> </p><p>Rey and Ben ran up to the boys as Poe pulled himself out of the rally car.</p><p>“Woo!” He whoops, pulling his helmet off, releasing his bouncing, sweat-matted curls. His grin stretched from ear to ear. Poe seemed to have forgotten why they were actually here today.</p><p>“Okay, simmer down superstar.” Finn shushed him. Poe quietened but didn’t stop grinning, especially at Rey who glared at him, eyes narrowed. “Looks like this is just another front. First Order has their fingers in a lot of pies, now we know why.”</p><p>“Libraries, zoos and racing teams, all industries that often receive large shipments, no one would bat an eye.” Ben said and Finn nodded.</p><p>“It makes sense but it still doesn’t tell just where the shipments end up or what’s in them, clearly they’re not needed here.” Rey jumped, almost as if she heard the lightbulb ping above her own head. She grabbed Ben’s arm.</p><p>“Ben do you have any tracking do-hickeys with you?” She asked excitedly. Ben smiled.</p><p>“Yeah I do, and that is the technical term.” Rey giggled and turned back to Finn.</p><p>“Let the crates go.” Finn grinned back at her and nodded.</p><p>“I’m sorry, what are we doing? We’re just ditching the crates?” The three of them turned to Poe, who’d tuned out of the conversation at some point to give his attention to the yelling rally car fan girls who’d now caught a glimpse of the devastatingly handsome driver under the first place helmet. He gave them smiles and waves and made a serious effort to catch a few of the phone numbers that were thrown his way. Finn coughed to catch his attention and Poe begrudgingly pulled his attention away from the girls and back to his partner.</p><p>“Whenever you’re ready Ayrton.” Finn snipped.</p><p>“I know you meant that as a dig but I’m actually very flattered.” Poe retorted, shooting him a wink and Finn rolled his eyes.</p><p>“We’re letting the crates go but we’re gonna track them.” He surmised for Poe’s benefit. “How good are your do-hickeys Ben? We’re not gonna loose the shipments just because they went through the underpass are we?” Poe snorted.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s not just slapping your ‘Find My Keys’ keyring on the crate is it?” Poe sneered and Ben made a mock laughing face back at him.</p><p>“Uh, no.” Ben shut them both down. “My <em>do-hickeys </em>are far more advanced than your average tracking system. I developed the tracking software myself, I can set them up with my phone. I just put the tiny trackers on the crates and when I want the crate’s location, my phone will send a ping to the tracker and the tracker will send it back, giving us the location.” Ben explained.</p><p>“Well that was a load of crap I didn’t care about.” Poe huffed and Ben gave him an annoyed look.</p><p>“Kind of like sonar?” Rey piped up. She looked up at Ben and he felt his heart tighten in his chest, her little hand seemed to burn through the fabric of his jumpsuit and scorched his skin. He gave her a smile.</p><p>“Exactly.” Rey smiled back.</p><p>“Okay, that’s all well and good but I’ve got semi-finals to get set up for.” Poe snapped and Rey dropped her hand, popping Ben out of the detached bubble that he had found himself in. One of these days, he was going to kick Poe’s ass. Poe shoved his helmet into Rey’s hands and grinned at her. He was just loving rubbing this in her face. Rey plasters a huge smile across her face.</p><p>“Oh, don’t worry Mr Dameron, I’ll sort your car right up.” Rey replies, overly politely and overly peppy.</p><p>“You’re still not getting in my car!” He calls over his shoulder as he saunters off to receive his copious amounts of female attention. Rey giggles and Ben chuckles.</p><p> </p><p>Rey finishes bolting the new tyres onto the rally car, assisted by Ben. She places the pneumatic wrench at her feet and Ben gives the wheel a satisfactory spin. They give each other a pleased smile.</p><p>“I’ll tidy up here if you go get the trackers. Have them ready for the next race starting.” Ben nods at her. Ben leaves Rey beside the rally car and she rolls the old wheels into the garage, letting them fall and clatter wherever. She pumps the car up on a jack a few times to get in to inspect the brake callipers, make sure Poe didn’t tear them to pieces. When Rey climbed back out from under the car, she heard chortling laughter from over her shoulder. Their neighbouring pit crew, accompanied by their pompous driver watched her amused, chuckling amongst themselves.</p><p>“Y’know, for a moment there I was worried I was gonna have a real contender over here,” the driver drawled. “Only thing I’m worried about now is that you <em>knitted</em> Dameron a new set of tyres!” His accompanying buffoons whooped and howled at their driver’s sexist joke. Rage bubbled up inside Rey, her fists clenching tightly at her sides. She stepped towards the yowling baboons when Finn’s hand grabbed her back.</p><p>“You don’t have your gun on you do you?” Finn asked, only slightly joking.</p><p>“I don’t need my gun to shed some blood.” Rey hissed</p><p>“Oh I know but I’m not fleeing a murder scene today.” He warned her. “Come on, go find Ben. He seems to have a calming effect on you.” Rey would have been embarrassed if Finn didn’t have a point. Rey nodded and turned away, the cavemen wolf whistling as she did. She squeezed her eyes shut and took deep breaths.</p><p>She was stomping towards Ben’s van when a warm, buttery voice cut through the angry storm cloud that rumbled above her.</p><p>“I wouldn’t worry about those clowns.” He said. Rey looked at the man. He was tall, almost as tall as Ben but he wasn’t as broad. His frame was more slender, slightly feline. But maybe it was the firey red of his hair that made Rey think that. He moved towards her, his steps smooth and silky, confident. “They wouldn’t know what to do with a beautiful piece of machinery like that anyway.” His words were dripping with seduction and Rey couldn’t stop it from sending a shiver up her spine. Is this what she did to Poe? Oh god, was she as bad as Poe?!</p><p>“We are still talking about the car aren’t we?” Rey asked, something suggested that he wasn’t talking about the car at all. A smirk crept into his lips, a curved laugh line hugged the corner of his smile. Rey was sure she saw a wicked sparkle in his blue eyes. He raised his eyebrows suggestively at her and continued past her, like two ships passing in the night. She couldn’t help but watch him leave and over his shoulder he shot her a wink, an action that had a curious rippling effect on her body, before disappearing entirely.</p><p>Who the hell was that?!</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, Rey?” Ben’s voice brought Rey back down to Earth and when she looked up she met his slightly alarmed expression. “We’ve got a problem.”</p><p>Rey’s face changed to match Ben’s when she rounded the corner to see an icky green courier truck parked up outside the First Order pit. A slender polo shirt wearing, cap sporting man was circling the crates, checking the ID numbers with his clipboard. He nodded, clearly finding what he was looking for. The man pulled a pallet jack out of the back of his truck and lowered the lift on the back. He quickly set about wheeling the crates onto the lift.</p><p>“What now?” Ben whispered loudly.</p><p>“What’s happening?” Finn’s voice came through their ears.</p><p>“It seems the crates have a date with a courier.” Rey responded dryly.</p><p>“Well do something about it!” Poe’s voice came next.</p><p>“You got your trackers on you?” Rey asked Ben.</p><p>“Yeah, but-” he started but cut himself off when Rey shook her hair out of its ponytail, gave it a tousle and unbuttoned a few buttons at the neck of her jumpsuit. Ben’s eyes widened and he quickly had to resolve himself when Rey looked at him. He must certainly be blushing.</p><p>“You go plank them, I’ll distract. Meet you back at the pit.”</p><p>“But Rey-” He started but Rey had already left, tossing her hair a little as she approached the delivery guy. Ben floundered a little, unsure of what to do but Rey was in full distraction mode.</p><p>“Do you pick up here often?” Rey asked the guy, applying the same quality to her voice that she usually did for Poe.</p><p>Poe snorted into their ears.</p><p>“That’s not the crap she uses on me is it?” he scoffs.</p><p>Despite Poe’s mocking, the courier responded positively to Rey. His smile was flattered as he chuckled.</p><p>“Unfortunately no.”</p><p>“Shame.” Rey smiled flirtatiously. “So there’s no chance we’ll be seeing this out on the track?” Rey nods her head towards the truck.</p><p>“Well on a straight road, I can open her up to an impressive 68 miles an hour.” He said chuckling. Rey giggled back</p><p>“Probably not then.”</p><p>Ben was so engrossed in watching his dream woman flirt with some cap wearing stranger that he almost totally missed her subtle wave at him, urging him to get on with it already. While Rey chatted and flirted, Ben casually strode towards the back of the truck, hands fumbling in his pocket for a few of trackers. He attached them to the crates as he passed, barely stopping as he did so. Once the job was done, Ben circled the truck, making eye contact with Rey as he passed and continued on to meet back with Poe and Finn.</p><p> </p><p>When Rey joined them with a satisfied smile, her face fell when she encountered the concerned expressions of Finn and Ben. Poe’s was a little angrier.</p><p>“Job well done?” Rey asked.</p><p>“Uh no!” Poe snapped.</p><p>“Not really Rey.” Ben said softer. “The trackers are on yes, but they need to be synced up to each other. The trackers and my phone have to sync to the same wavelength so that they can find each other later on.”</p><p>“Okay and how do we do that?” Rey asked, completely ignoring Poe’s pissed expression.</p><p>“I need to be within 30 feet of the trackers while they sync up, the sync will take about 7 minutes for all the trackers.”</p><p>“That’s fine!” Rey says. “We’ll just hang around the truck until it leaves.” Almost on cue, a loud engine approached them and the four of them turned to watch the courier truck drive out of the speedway and away from them.</p><p>“Yes! Great idea!” Poe snapped exasperated.</p><p>Rey’s face lit up with an idea.</p><p>“So I just need to catch you up with the van and keep you in its immediate vicinity for 7 minutes?” a small smile crept to her face as she looked at Finn who was trying desperately to suppress a smile of his own.</p><p>“Basically yeah.” Ben said. Poe looked on confused until Finn reached into his pocket and his eyes blew wide. Finn pulled the Mclaren keys out of his pocket and held them out. As Rey went to grab them, Poe stopped her.</p><p>“Don’t you dare.” He hissed. Rey smirked and picked up Poe’s racing helmet.</p><p>“Either I take your car or I take your crown Dameron.”</p><p>Around them, the announcer called for the drivers to get ready for the semi-finals and Poe’s face filled with panic and confusion. He was so torn, it was obvious, the decision was tearing him up. He was so close to fulfilling a childhood dream but to see his car drive away without him would break his heart.</p><p>“Time to choose Poe.” Rey said, her voice teasing, laden with excitement. Poe groaned loudly and grabbed the racing helmet out of her hand and put it on his head. Grinning wildly, Rey grabbed the Mclaren keys from Finn and grabbed Ben’s hand dragging him with her to the beautiful car that sat waiting on them.</p><p>Rey climbed into the driver’s seat, putting Poe’s Ray Bans on as she did, they engulfed her face but she still suited them.</p><p>“Well played.” Ben commended as he slid into the passenger seat. Rey turned to him and flashed him a grin.</p><p>“Thank you.” She ignited the engine and the car purred to life.</p><p> </p><p>(♫Take My Hand – Simple Plan ♫)</p><p> </p><p>Rey felt the tyres spin in the gravel as she sped out of Kessel Run Speedway, the vibrations of the car under her causing an electric thrum through her veins. A shiver ran over her body.</p><p>She screeched the car out onto the streets, it’s roaring engine making its own path through the crowded roads. Other mundane cars were moving out of the way for her, as if she’d drive right through them. Behind the wheel, Rey felt so powerful that she thought she just might do that.</p><p>The courier truck’s garish paintwork made it easy enough to spot, even from as far away as they were. It took the on ramp for the freeway and Rey had to dive across 4 lanes to make the same turn but the Mclaren cut through the traffic like a hot knife through butter. Bounding onto the freeway, Rey really put some weight behind her foot. She watched the numbers on the speedometer display rapidly tick up, utter exhilaration sweeping over her as she broke 100 miles per hour.</p><p>“You’re enjoying this way too much.” Ben yelled over to her, she could barely hear him over the roaring wind in her ears. She flashed him a wolfish grin, his sheepish expression combined with his hair being blown back from his face made her giggle.</p><p>They caught up to the truck in no time at all and it almost pained Rey to slow 570 horses down to a measly 68 miles an hour to keep in line with the hunk of junk. Ben held his phone towards the truck, watching the synchronisation start to progress.</p><p>“That’s great! Hold it there!” He told her. Rey groaned, her foot hovering lightly over the accelerator. Only 6 minutes and 48 more seconds of this sheer torture. Surely driving a Mclaren this slow was some sort of sin, Rey was certain she’d be punished for it in the afterlife.</p><p>When the sync finished, Ben’s app burst into life, several blinking dots showing up just in front of the icon that indicated Ben. Rey and Ben grinned at each other.</p><p>“When should we turn back?” Ben asked her. “I think there’s an exit coming up that’ll loop us back around.”</p><p>“Why don’t we just follow the truck? See where it goes.” Rey suggested.</p><p>“We could end up anywhere.” Ben replied. Rey shrugged.</p><p>“I got no plans.” She smiles at Ben and he returns it and nods. With his agreement, Rey starts playing in the traffic, bobbing and weaving through the cars smattered around them. Ben turns to look at Rey, pure joy on her face.</p><p>“You just want to keep playing in the car.” She grins.</p><p> </p><p>When they start to follow the truck into smaller streets, Rey turns into a side street a parks up. Ben watches the crate blips on his phone move further away from their location and continue to move for just over 5 minutes. Then they stop.</p><p>“They’ve stopped.” Ben speaks quietly. There’s no one else around but he is overly aware that they are lacking the privacy of an enclosed car.</p><p>“Can you get an address on that thing?” Rey mirrors his hushed tone and he nods. Ben pinches the screen to zoom in on the crates and clicks for an address.</p><p>“Units 77-83, South Dock Way.” Ben reads out to her and his face crumples in confusion. “Wait, dock?” Rey types furiously into her phone.</p><p>“Hutt Logistics and Export.” Rey tells him. “Another port? This makes no god damn sense!”</p><p>Rey’s phone starts to buzz in her hand, she answers it on the second ring and holds the phone between her and Ben.</p><p>“Finn, hey.”</p><p>“Where are you guys?” He asks, his voice slightly worried.</p><p>“Yeah, where the hell is my car Johnson?!” Poe yells in the background, Rey hears Finn shushing him.</p><p>“We followed the truck and ended up at some backend exporting company. Looks like the crates are heading out <em>again</em>.”</p><p>“What the hell is in those crates?”</p><p>“I haven’t a clue but I don’t think we’re gonna find out this time.” Ben says.</p><p>“Damn it.” Finn sighs. “Leia’s gonna have my head for this.”</p><p>“Just blame Poe, that’s what I always do.” Ben adds and Rey giggles quietly.</p><p>“What was that dweeb?!” Poe yelled again, making Ben smirk.</p><p>“I know it’s crap but the tracking link is set up and working, if we have to let them go, at least we’ll see where they end up. That’s something.” Rey says and Finn sighs again.</p><p>“I guess. Okay, you guys head back to the agency and we’ll see you in a bit.”</p><p>Somewhere in the city behind Rey and Ben, a loud whistle screeches up into the dimming sky, finishing with a flash, a bang and a crackle. It startles Ben but pleasantly reminds Rey what day it is. She smiles.</p><p>“Yeah, I think we might hit a bit of traffic though.”</p><p>“No worries. See you when we see you then.” Finn hangs up quickly and Rey starts the car back up and makes a u-turn.</p><p> </p><p>Finn hangs up, stopping Poe from unleashing more fury through the phone. Finn turns to his partner with scowl.</p><p>“Will you ease up? You’re giving me a migraine.” Finn snaps at him, rubbing his eyes and the bridge of his nose.</p><p>“What’s your problem?” Poe shoots back. “You’ve been a snippy bugger for weeks now.” Finn rolls his eyes which only aggravates his migraine and Poe. “You look like crap too by the way.” Poe adds.</p><p>“Thanks for the TLC Dr Dameron, I’ll be sure to make another appointment on the way out.” Finn responds snarky before walking away from his partner. While Poe had been utterly insufferable all day, Finn couldn’t deny that he was right. He had been rather tetchy recently but unfortunately Finn couldn’t explain that it was down to the fact that he had been AWOL 6 nights in half as many weeks and Finn had no idea where he had been or why. He’d turned the tracking app on his phone on, only to find that he never took it with him. He set cameras up in his apartment but they always end up disabled. He’s even tried handcuffing himself to his bed but he would just wake up in the morning, curled up in his clothes with the open handcuffs laying on the pillow next to him. His constant exhaustion told him that he’s awake during these times but whatever state he’s in, he’s clearly coherent enough to disable his own safety measures. He was going to have to ask for help and soon but although that seemed like a simple task, it was made immensely harder by the blood that he’d found on the cuffs of his jacket this morning.</p><p> </p><p> “Think the traffic will be that bad?” Ben asks her.</p><p>“Oh yeah, I don’t think we’ll be back for hours.” Rey smiles at him and winks.</p><p> </p><p>(♫Yours If You Want It – Rascal Flatts ♫)</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t long before Ben realised that the route Rey was taking wasn’t a mirror image of their route here. She’d forgone the freeway entirely and wound her way through city streets and neighbourhoods until they were out the back of the city and pressing onwards and upwards into the hills. Rey had no intention of heading back to the agency right away and Ben was more than happy to be on this detour with her. He let the speeding wind wash over him, filling him with a freeing excitement that he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before. And he was sure that the light, euphoric feeling in his bones was mainly down to the girl who was riding with him.</p><p>The radio was turned up, playing one of his favourite songs and the more he listened to the words, the more he finally felt like he understood them. Almost like he’d written them himself. Rey’s hair blew back from her face, the low sunlight setting alight the bronze colour of her skin. Ben couldn’t take his eyes off her and whenever she would look over at him, his chest tightened like his heart just couldn’t handle it.</p><p>Rey continued to drive until they were high above the city, the air much cooler and fresher than the hot city streets and when she finally pulled up on the side of an empty dirt road, she shut the engine off and got out the car. She stepped to the front of the car and looked out over the edge of the steep drop of the hillside. Ben watched her for a moment before getting out to stand with her. When he stood there, he understood. Below them, stretched the city’s evening sky, brought to life but the thousands of sparkling fireworks being set of in celebrations all across the city.</p><p>“Happy 4th of July Ben.” She said, smiling affectionately.</p><p>Rey sat down on the crisp grass that lined the gravel road and hung her legs over the edge, Ben joined her a second later.</p><p>“The city actually looks quite beautiful from up here.” He said.</p><p>“It’s ‘cause you’re above the smog.” Rey remarked and Ben gave a small laugh.</p><p>“How did you come across this place?” He asked her.</p><p>“I actually moved to the city on the 4<sup>th</sup> of July. I only had a backpack, a motorbike and cash. I had no idea what I was doing, where I was going and when I walked the streets, fireworks were exploding all around me and it was all so …”</p><p>“Overwhelming?” Ben finished for her.</p><p>“Yeah.” They shared a small, knowing smile. “So I got on my bike and just drove as far away from it all as I could and I ended up way up here. When I looked back down at the tiny flashes and the thunderous bangs became quiet pops, everything just seemed so small and insignificant. Nothing to be scared of.” Ben nodded, seeing exactly what Rey was describing unfolding before him.</p><p>“At least you managed to get out of doing the obligatory 4<sup>th</sup> of July family photo.” Ben joked, nudging her gently with his shoulder. Rey smiled softly.</p><p>“Well I don’t have a family for a family photo so it was no big loss.” Ben’s stomach dropped. He felt like throwing himself over the side of the hill just to get out of this pit he’d fallen into.</p><p>“Rey, I … I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to …” He fumbled but Rey just laughed.</p><p>“It’s fine Ben. Please, don’t worry about it.” She rested a hand on his arm. “It’s not like I lost them in a traumatic accident or anything, I just never had them to begin with.” She shrugged and Ben just felt sad. Thinking of Rey, sitting in amongst other children, without a family, wondering who didn’t love her enough to keep her. Who wouldn’t want Rey? Who would be crazy enough to give her up? Not having anyone at all would be its own trauma. “Sorry, I just totally killed the mood there didn’t I?” She chuckled lightly.</p><p>“No, I’m sorry Rey. That was my fault, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.” Ben apologised again and Rey shook her head at him smiling softly.</p><p>“No Ben, seriously, it’s fine. We just don’t usually talk about this kind of thing do we? It’s usually flirty banter we have isn’t it?” She laughed.</p><p>“<em>We</em> have flirty banter?” Ben questioned, not quite sure he heard her correctly.</p><p>“I think so.” She chuckled.</p><p>“Y’know I’ve seen you flirt right?” Ben asked her, an eyebrow cocked in her direction. “That’s not what we do.”</p><p>“Correction, you’ve seen me <em>pretend</em> flirt. My real flirting is far clumsier.” Ben wasn’t sure if it was the pink sky or if Rey was actually blushing. They sat together in comfortable silence, watching the tiny blips of light sparkle across the city.</p><p>“Thank you for sharing this with me Rey.” Ben said finally.</p><p>“Thank you for coming with me.”</p><p>“I didn’t have a choice, you kidnapped me in a stolen car.” Rey laughed, a whole hearted belly laugh that made Ben’s heart leap into his throat.</p><p>“Speaking of,” Rey climbed to her feet and held her hand out for Ben to pull himself up too. He took it gladly, towering over her when she pulled him to his feet. “We should probably get back before Poe calls the cops.” Ben exhaled a chuckle and nodded. As much as he didn’t want to end their time together just the two of them, Ben had to admit to himself that when it came to his cars, Poe was a very possessive, irrational man. But Ben had a quick thought before he moved to get back into the car.</p><p>“Rey, wait.” She stopped and Ben held his hand out to her. “Gimmie your phone.” Although her face was clearly puzzled, she handed her phone to him anyway. He scooped her up under his arm, turned them so that the sparkling city skyline was behind them and snapped a photo of the two of them. Despite not having a clue what Ben was doing, when he opened the camera app and smiled, Rey smiled too. Ben handed the phone back to Rey who looked down at the photo. “Your first obligatory 4<sup>th</sup> of July photo.” He said with a smile and she returned the smile gratefully.</p><p> </p><p>Rey drove them back and they were silent as she did so. Not out of awkwardness or anger but in the pure bliss of being so comfortable with the presence of another person. It was a strange feeling for Ben, someone who’d always felt out of place in most situations and uncomfortable around most people. But now, he revelled in the feeling of Rey’s calming presence. He’d even go as far as to say that he didn’t feel like she was another person at all but another part of him. He shifted in his seat to dig his phone out his pocket. He wanted to capture this moment, this moment where for the first time in his life he felt like he belonged somewhere. He raised to phone to point the camera at Rey, her hair windswept, her cheeks pink, her eyes bright with exhilaration and when he clicked to capture, she turned to look at him and gave him a smile that he would remember even when he’d long forgotten his own name.</p><p> </p><p>“About damn time!”</p><p>Was how Poe greeted them when they finally shuffled out of the agency’s elevator.</p><p>“Yeah, sorry. 4<sup>th</sup> of July traffic is the worst!” Rey feigned an exasperated sigh.</p><p>“Absolute gridlock.” Ben added, Rey giving him the faintest hint of a smirk.</p><p>“Mmhmm, mmhmm … traffic my ass!” Poe exploded. “Why does the tracking system have you going on a detour of the hillside for 45 minutes!?” Rey knotted her eyebrows in confusion.</p><p>“Really? That is strange. Maybe it’s got a bug or something? Want Ben to have a look at it?” Rey suggests, making eye contact with Finn who was struggling to keep his composure behind a furious Poe.</p><p>“Yeah, course I’ll have a look at it for you buddy, anything you need.” Ben said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. Poe brushed Ben’s hand away hastily.</p><p>“It’s a $200,000 car Rey, it doesn’t get bugs!” Poe snapped. “Keys!” He demanded and with a giggle, Rey held the car key out to him and he snatched it up eagerly.</p><p>“Shall we debrief?” Rey suggested and Finn nodded, laughing lightly.</p><p>“Yes please.”</p><p>The four of them shuffled into Ben’s lab, Poe and Finn taking their seats on the couch. Rey deviates from her usual place between them and plonks herself into Ben’s desk chair. He doesn’t shift her but instead stands beside her while they run the two super spies through their findings for the day. Ben boots up the app on his phone to show the working tracking to the boys.</p><p>“Okay, so the crates should be setting off on a cruise in the Pacific?” Poe asks. Ben’s eyes widen as he looks at his phone, Rey looks up at him concerned.</p><p>“That <em>was</em> the theory …” Rey stands up and leans into Ben to see his phone screen.</p><p>“Oh my god.” She says.</p><p>“Why does that make me think that they’re not?” Finn remarks. Ben grabs the display screen input cable and plugs his phone in. An enlarged view of the tracking screen is blown up for everyone to see, matching confusion sweeps across all their faces when they look it over.</p><p>“They’re in the city.” Ben says, the unmistakable blips of the crates hovering over a residential street somewhere in the city.</p><p>“Who’s address is that Rey?” Finn asks and Rey types it hastily into Ben’s computer.</p><p>“Of course.” She gives a bemused chuckle.  “That is the residential address of Gwendoline Phasma.” Rey says. The four of them are silent for a few minutes. They were running the crates around so much that it was increasingly difficult to catch them. It was no wonder they’d never found any of the previous shipments. The crates being moved again without them noticing was annoying yes, but it wasn’t impossible considering Rey and Ben’s rather hefty detour home. Guiltily, she thought to herself that if she could do it again … she would do the same thing. She wouldn’t give up those moments with Ben for all the bad guys in the world. But she’s not going to tell the boys that.</p><p>“Upside is we can still get our hands on those crates!” Rey says instead.</p><p>“In Phasma’s house? Unlikely. She hates us. Especially Poe.” Ben says and Poe narrows his eyes at him.</p><p>“I think I can help with that.” A similar voice adds, a voice that Rey certainly remembers. General Organa stands at the door of Ben’s lab, a devastatingly handsome, tall, red haired man in tow.</p><p>“Evening ladies and gentleman … and Poe.” Leia says in greeting, causing Poe to fling his arms up in exasperation.</p><p>“It’s you again.” Rey says, completely entranced by the familiar blue eyes she’d encountered earlier today. He gave her a charming smirk in return while Ben looked between them with puzzlement knotted in his eyebrows.</p><p>“You know this guy?” Ben asks, it comes out rather confrontational and little more possessive than he means it to.</p><p>“<em>This guy</em> is Armitage Hux and he’s your lifeline. He can get you into Phasma’s.” Leia informs them. “He can talk you all through everything in the morning, I’m showing him around and then we’re all going home for some celebrations.”</p><p>“Excellent idea General!” Poe says, getting to his feet. He saunters to Hux and wraps and arm around his shoulders. “Tell me Hux, do you enjoy liquor and women?” Poe says as he escorts Armitage Hux out of the lab, Finn getting to his feet and following closely behind them.</p><p>“Don’t get too drunk Dameron, I’m not bailing you out of jail this year!” She calls after them. “I don’t think poor Armitage was getting a choice there.” Leia says to Ben and Rey with a small smile. “Shall I meet you outside Ben?”</p><p>“I, uh …” Ben looks towards Rey who was making herself busy on Google street view, getting a very detailed look at Phasma’s address. He thought about her going home alone to an empty apartment while everyone else was out celebrating. “I actually have some work to finish off. It’s been bugging me for ages.” He says and his mother smiles knowingly at him and nods, ducking out of the lab without another word about it.</p><p>When the door clicks shut behind the General, Rey spins around in the chair to face Ben.</p><p>“What you working on?” Rey asks.</p><p>“Rainbow Road in Mario Kart, fancy helping me?” He says.</p><p>She grins and nods.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Do I fancy Hux? Yes.<br/>Do I fancy cars? Hell yes.</p><p>Imagine Hux as a ginger Tom Hiddleston ;)<br/>If someone can photoshop or draw Ben and Rey's 4th of July photo, you'd probably just break my heart!</p><p>Rey's pokemon tee - https://www.textualtees.com/products/squirtle-pocket-tshirt<br/>Mclaren 570s Spider - https://cars.mclaren.com/gb-en/sports-series/570s-spider</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Episode 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>welcome back! thank you for coming back!</p><p>firstly, thank you for your lovely comments, i love reading them and i think i've replied to them all now!<br/>secondly, I may have allowed my thirst for Domhnall Gleeson in Run take over during this chapter so sorry not sorry, i fancy him<br/>thirdly, this chapter is longer than previous chapters and super fucking angsty<br/>enjoy!<br/>also Netflix, call me! ;)</p><p>don't forget the playlist!<br/>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74CsZkeOOggFe7X2qktzgP?si=1dX2Ap45RIiBGobP3QINtA<br/>it has one of my favourite songs in this chapter Crack the Shutters by Snow Patrol</p><p>Shout out to my beta @a_littlelessconversation for being the best pal in the world, love you so much!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>(</span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>Drive By - Train </span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this garbage?” Ben remarked, his nose scrunched up and only slightly joking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben sat hunched forward, Nintendo Switch controller in hand. He was half focused on Mario Kart and half focused on Rey, who was currently lounging upside down on the couch beside him, her head dangling towards the floor, feet tapping in the air with a controller of her own in her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d played video games together till late last night, at first on the pretence of being by the phone for a bail out phone call. However, when the call never came, Ben and Rey never got around to saying goodbye. In fact, it was rather startling for the two of them when they jumped awake just after 6am, Rey’s cheeks flushed and her hair rumpled from falling asleep against Ben, the creases of the shoulder of his hoodie pressed into her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not seeing the point in going home at that point, Rey showered in the locker room and changed into her spare workout gear that she kept stashed in her locker. Clean and fresh and currently donning Ben’s orange “desk hoodie” as he referred to it, Rey’s wet hair hung down the front of the couch as she continued her winning streak from the night before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” She protested. “I like Train.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone has to.” Ben mumbled and earned himself a playful punch to the knee. He grinned down at her. “This is the last time we listen to your Spotify.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were on the final lap of the Twisted Mansion course, one of Rey’s favourites considering she always chose King Boo to play as. Ben had a blue shell, he had done for a while but she knew he was biding his time, waiting for the best moment to use it. She also knew that it didn’t matter, she was so far ahead of him, she was going to win regardless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lab door beeped, access being allowed to Finn and a very rough looking Poe, followed closely by their new shadow Armitage Hux. Rey scrambled upright at his appearance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why does it resemble a college dorm in here?” Finn asked and Poe snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> what I did in my college dorm.” He remarked offering a smug smile to the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha!” Rey scoffed. “Like you went to college.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did!” Poe protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was your major, Man Whoring and Supermodel Biology?” Rey retorted sarcastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha ha ha. No, Global Studies actually.” Poe replied dramatically. Rey looked baffled at the idea of Poe bringing books to a lecture hall every day and actually listening to someone else speak for a chance. She turned to Ben in disbelief and he gave her a surprising nod of confirmation. “Although could you imagine the finals for Supermodel Biology? Oaft.” Poe chuckled, giving Hux a playful pat on the arm, the dreamy eyed expression on his face making it very clear that he was imagining said exam. Hux cleared his throat uncomfortably and moved away from Poe, now revelling in the bliss of his imagination. He sat down in Ben’s computer chair, Ben giving him a quick, annoyed side glance at this stranger’s familiarity with </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>lab.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey tapped her phone quickly to silence the music, realising that the situation was very freshman dorm room-esque.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning Agent Hux, I hope Poe was well behaved last night.” Rey said. Ben noticed that her tone with Hux was friendly but unfamiliar. Not as laid back as she was with the three of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Finn was there too!” Poe attempted to defend himself, stepping further into the room to perch on the arm of the couch, Finn hovering behind him. Rey pretended to consider him for a moment before saying again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope </span>
  <em>
    <span>Poe</span>
  </em>
  <span> was well behaved last night.” Hux chuckled in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was good fun, my first proper 4</span>
  <span>th</span>
  <span> of July celebrations.” Hux said in his British accent that matched Rey’s. “And please Rey, call me Hux.” Rey grinned at him, her attention wavering just enough that Ben was able to use his blue koopa shell, knocking her animated racing kart into sixth place while he overtook her and stole first, effectively ending her winning streak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hux.” Ben said, finally giving the man his attention. “Not Armitage?” He asked, slightly over enunciating the man’s first name. Hux chuckled again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good heavens no. That is a cruel gift from my father who was given an equally ridiculous name by his father. Believe me, Hux is just fine.” He said, smiling softly at Rey who nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hux it is then.” She repeated back to him, the two of them regarding each other pleasantly. Too pleasantly for Ben’s liking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, how do you two know each other?” Ben asked, his voice edgey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We bumped into each other at the track yesterday.” Rey said, Hux smiling and nodding in agreement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were at Kessel Run yesterday?” Finn piped up. Hux nodded again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umm, why?” Poe joined in, now regarding his new friend with suspicious eyes. At this, General Organa made her entrance into Ben’s lab.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because unlike you pinheads, Hux has </span>
  <em>
    <span>successfully</span>
  </em>
  <span> infiltrated Phasma Tech and Gwendoline Phasma’s inner circle.” Leia bragged for him. Ben rolled his eyes, oh this guy was just perfect wasn’t he?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Rey asked excitedly. Hux nodded. “Impressive” She said and from the way she looked at the man, she certainly seemed impressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is Rey.” Leia said. “Would you like to elaborate, Hux?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course General.” Hux said politely. “Four months ago, I applied for a position in Tech Support at Phasma Tech. It was a low position, an easy feat.” He shrugged. “However, I managed to get myself access to the email accounts of everyone who was anyone at Phasma Tech, including Ms Phasma herself. She’s careful though, her email chain is squeaky clean, suspiciously so. Unlike her subordinates. From there it was easy to push buttons and twist situations to get myself noticed by the CEO.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you said something about getting us into Phasma’s house?” Finn asked, still confused as to how an employee could get his buddies into the very secure home of his CEO.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Correct.” Hux said. “You’re familiar with Phasma’s monthly parties.” He states. He’s not asking, he knows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I take it you were at the party as well?” Finn asked, amused and ever so slightly annoyed with himself at missing this tall, redheaded British man at both places. Getting wrapped up in Poe’s shenanigans was beginning to take its toll.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was.” Hux replied with a small quirk in his smile. “The tuxedos were nice touch but the truth is, you were always going to get kicked out. Phasma knows every face at those parties and you were odd ones out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See? Infiltrated.” Leia said. “Listen to the man.” She said before dismissing herself from the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, yeah, how did you get invited anyways?” Poe jumped in. “We couldn’t even find an invite to counterfeit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The parties are essentially an indulgent loyalty program. They’re big budget, extravagant, extremely hard to get into and everyone wants invited. But Phasma doesn’t just send out a companywide e-vite. She invites you face to face. Everyone at her parties she knows personally because she wants to know them, encouraging people to work hard for her.” He explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hence getting yourself noticed.” Finn added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly.” Hux agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what’s this got to do with getting to those crates?” Ben asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well her monthly extravaganza is being held at her beachside villa and of course, I’m invited.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t really help us though does it?” Ben replied, his tone a little snippy. He didn’t mean it to come out as harsh as it did but he was getting a little sick of Hux blowing his own trumpet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s one exception to the exclusivity rule, other halves.” Hux said. Immediately, realisation dawned on Finn’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, that’s how it went south!” Poe furrowed his brow at him. “She asked you if you were there with anyone and you said a friend thinking she was flirting with you when really she was trying to suss out if you were someone’s date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe half sighed, half groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I said I wasn’t she gave us the boot.” He added and Finn nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? You mean Poe’s humility got you guys in trouble? Well, colour me astounded.” Rey said sarcastically, Poe faking a laugh in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re at one of these parties, you’re either in her inner circle or you’re dating someone who is.” Hux summed up. “Which means I need to get myself a date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe and Finn turned to look at Rey who looked back at them pointedly, before huffing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is so presumptuous! Hux could be gay!” She said, making Ben smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True … but I’d like to think that you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> that I’m not Rey.” Hux said suggestively, giving her a quick wink that was missed by most of the room but not by Rey … or Ben. “And I’d very much like for you to be my date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey pretended to give the idea some thought before she spoke again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I get to wear something nice this time?” She said, shooting a scathing glare at Poe and Finn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Poe started “I very much appreciated the wiener girl outfit.” Rey narrowed her eyes at him. Poe just shrugged. “I know what I like, Rey, sue me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do something far worse to you.” She hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, say that again but slower … and gravellier.” He said, teasing her. Rey balled her fist and her arm twitched up to lay a sore one right on Poe’s handsome jaw but Ben caught her wrist before she could swing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Save it for the training room when you can actually make some money off him.” He murmured to her and like the flip of a switch, Rey’s mood lightened exponentially.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How does he do that?” Poe whispered to Finn, bewildered. Finn chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right Ben.” Rey said. “By the sounds of it, I’m gonna need the money for a new dress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be my date then?” Hux asked, rather eagerly considering this was only a mission. Ben didn’t like where this was going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah! Nice dresses, fancy parties and open bar?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Definitely.” He confirmed and Rey grinned at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great,” Hux rose to his feet and approached Rey, taking her hand and pressing the back of it to his lips. “I’ll pick you up Saturday.” He gave her an alluringly crooked smile and turned on his heel and left. Rey was left feeling and looking a little flustered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t the only one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it just me or is anyone else seriously attracted to that guy?” Poe asked, far more serious than one would think. Finn barked a laugh and Rey’s cheeks flushed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, Ben didn’t like this at all.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Keeping to his lab, Ben found that he didn’t have to suffer Hux as much. The man wouldn’t come into Ben’s lab without being accompanied by the rest of the group who at least managed to dilute his overwhelming charisma. Unfortunately, after a few days of skimming by with the odd interaction, Hux managed to corner him in the coffee room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben, I wanted to talk to you about your communication equipment.” Ben stifled a groan and plastered a phony, friendly smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about it?” He asked. Hux pulled a chair up to sit with Ben at the tiny break room table, his faux smile faltering a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was just curious about what you were planning for Rey and I to use for the party.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two-way radio earpieces equipped with GPS and heart monitors.” Ben replied flatly, picking up his coffee cup and taking a slow swig. “They’re secure, if that’s what you’re wondering. I built them myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s just that Phasma is very serious about her security. I just wondered if the technology involved would be discreet enough to pass the security metal detectors?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The security metal detectors?” Ben repeated, his intonation slightly more peeved than Hux’s had been.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me you knew about the metal detectors.” Hux added, doing nothing to lessen Ben’s building irritation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How high quality are we talking here? Y’know ranging from ‘looking for coins at the beach’ to ‘requiring TSA pat down’?” Ben asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“TSA. And then some.” Ben huffed, all social niceties dropped now that his frustration was so abundantly clear. He stood, his chair loudly scrapping back behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re just getting around to telling me this now?” He snapped at the man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” Hux replied “I assumed you would have scoped this stuff out already.” Ben wanted to argue but he was too furious. He wanted to point out the Hux was supposed to be their inside guy. If anyone was going to bring them this information, it should be him. And far sooner than this. Hux’s calm demeanour was only pressing to annoy him further. “Look, if you can’t sort it out, I’m sure I can source some more … appropriate tech from my own guy …”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All the words Hux was saying were helpful but the way that he said them to Ben were goading and challenging. Ben was sure that he could see the smallest hint of a satisfied smirk twitching at the corner of Hux’s lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Ben said shortly. “I’ll sort something out.” He grabbed his coffee from the table and stomped back to his lab. He was going to have a busy night it seemed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His busy night somehow blended into several days. Holed up in his lab, power napping on the couch when he had to, Ben did his usual when it came to fixing a problem. He completely destroyed said problem and began again from scratch. That first evening consisted of Ben sitting on the floor cross legged, surveying smashed up pieces of tech, one of his creations completely pulled apart and laid out on the floor around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He started by trying to make the pieces smaller, more discreet. He took out the slightly less necessary components like GPS and heart monitoring and focused solely on the mic/speaker aspects that they needed for communication. He tinkered and altered, his soldering iron almost burning a hole in his desk. And when he was finished with it … it still looked very obviously like an earpiece. There was no way that it would get past security guards who were actively looking for such devices.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben fell back to brainstorming and eventually he came up with an idea, the only thing that he’d ever seen actually be allowed to pass through a security screening. Jewellery. He took inspiration from a time when waiting in the security queue at JFK, he watched a woman successfully be waved on through by TSA Agents after setting off their alarms, her clunky earrings swaying as she walked. He remembered thinking at the time that it could be a genius way to sneak things through security, if the situation ever called for it. Poe and Finn were fully against the ear piercing suggestion that followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey however, would suit a new pair of earrings wonderfully. Less tacky ones of course. Hux would just have to go without but as long as they could communicate with one of them, it was a step in the right direction. Plus, not having to hear any more from Hux was a bonus for Ben. He sketched out a quick design, groaning quietly at it and having to admit to himself that creative drawing was not his strong suit. For all the ideas that he had however, he was going to need a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> intricate model of Rey’s ear …</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kind of hoped that Rey had already beaten Poe up today so that it wasn’t him who’d be on the receiving end of her fury if she took his request the wrong way.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Hux hunched in the chair next to her desk, bearded chin in his hand, elbow resting on his knee. They’d been here a while now but he didn’t seem fed up yet. He’d come to Rey that Friday morning equipped with many, </span>
  <em>
    <span>many</span>
  </em>
  <span> files for her to peruse. Layouts of Phasma’s villa, names and faces of the company’s many employees and even information on Hux himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Surely no one’s going to ask your girlfriend questions about you.” Rey said, sighing over the multitude of information that Hux had provided on himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can never be too sure Rey. It just makes sure that we’re on the same page if something comes up.” He said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not using all your real information while undercover though, are you?” She asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The best lies are based in truths. These are the truths that I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>allowing</span>
  </em>
  <span> these people to know about me.” Hux explained. Rey nodded and turned her attention back to Hux. If she really needed to know all this stuff about him in order to pretend to be his girlfriend, she wondered at what point he was going to ask these things about her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A light knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When her favourite flop of black hair emerged from the crack in the doorway, Rey couldn’t stop the flip in her stomach that followed. That flip that always followed when she saw him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben! Hi!” She squawked, a bit too eagerly that it was slightly embarrassing. Especially with Hux there to witness it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey, hey I-” Ben stopped when he saw Hux, his expressive eyes betraying him when he looked at the man. Rey realised early on that Ben didn’t too much care for Hux. She wondered if maybe they’d had a run in while no one else was a round, there was no other explanation for it, considering Ben’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>usually </span>
  </em>
  <span>good natured temperament. His eyes finally flicked back to her, softening a little. “I was wondering if I could borrow you for a bit?” He asked, opting not to look in Hux’s direction again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” She almost jumped out of her chair, knocking some stray pieces of paper from the desk, fluttering to the floor. “I mean, sure.” She smiled sheepishly and Ben gave her a small smile back. It was still strange to her how one look from him could completely overcome her. He soothed her when she was enraged and reassured her when she put herself out there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Rey, we’ve still got a lot to go over.” Hux interjected. Already pushing herself away from the desk and shutting off her laptop, Rey smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can leave all that there Hux and I promise that I’ll study it vigorously when I come back.” She told him, not allowing him another word before disappearing with Ben out the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” She said quietly as they got further away from her open office door. Ben chuckled lightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a fan?” He asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s not that. Hux is lovely but we’d been there for hours, I just couldn’t listen to him tell me anything else about himself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I always feel that way about him.” Ben remarked and Rey gave him a small jibe with her elbow, barely hiding the hint of a smirk that played on her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They walked in content quietness to Ben’s lab, him swiping his key card to gain entry through the door. Leia was the only other person besides Ben whose key card had that power, much to the dismay of Poe who has frequently requested to play with the “good gear” that Ben apparently keeps stashed somewhere in there. Ben always responds with a dismissive shake of his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I do for you Ben?” Rey asks when the door clicks closed behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need your ear.” He tells her with zero context or additional information. Rey blinks a few times, not sure she quite heard him right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, can you run that one by me again?” Ben huffs a small laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need your ear.” He repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I thought that’s what you said.” She said. “Can I ask why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“’Course you can.” Ben said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you tell me why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you think it weird if I say I want to surprise you?” He said and even though she could only see him from behind, Rey could tell he was blushing. The pink tips of his ears were always the giveaway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s actually kind of nice” Rey responded. “I think … I’ll wait and see what you do with my ear first.” She chuckled. Ben was smiling softly when he turned around, his large hands wrapped in rubber gloves, holding a tub of Vaseline and a small tub of pink goop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you lie on the couch on your left side?” Ben asked and Rey quirked an eyebrow at him. He chuckled. “I promise it’s only a little bit weird.” And despite the strange request and Ben’s additional secrecy, Rey plonked herself on the couch, complete trust in her companion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben rolled his desk chair over to the couch and started to place his equipment on the seat pad. The Vaseline and the mystery goop as well as some hair clips, a little egg timer and wipes. He knelt on the floor beside her and for a moment he seemed suddenly too shy to touch her. Rey sighed a little laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do what you need to Ben, it’s fine.” He nodded, she wasn’t sure if it was to her or himself. He conscientiously pushed her hair back from her right ear and used the hair clips to keep it in place. When he was satisfied, he started to delicately apply a very generous amount of Vaseline all over and around her ear. She flinched a little at the strange sensation and Ben stilled his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, it’s fine.” She said. “It's just an odd feeling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. It’ll be worth it though … I hope.” Rey chuckled lightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine Ben really, I trust you.” She assured him, the words coming out with more weight behind them than she’d intended but realised that she didn’t particularly mind the implication. He smiled softly and nodded, moving onto the pink goop. He pasted it behind Rey’s ear and around the shell and she shivered a little at the feeling of it sinking into all the curves and shapes of her ear. Ben was right, this was definitely a little weird.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey’s eyes flitted over him while he worked though, concentration furrowed on his brow. Her lips quirked into a smile watching him delicately manoeuvre his large hands, getting to watch his brain work as his eyes darted across her face. She imagined him in lecture halls furiously taking notes. In an overcrowded lab, his fingers working diligently on … whatever it was he was working on. No doubt with many eyes gazing over at him as he did, much like she was now. His movements became unsure when he saw her watching him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” He asked shyly. Rey smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just realised that I never asked you what you did at college.” She said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re assuming I went.” He said, smirking slightly. She rolled her eyes back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben, you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met, of course you went.” Ben flushed slightly at her compliment. “Plus, if </span>
  <em>
    <span>Poe</span>
  </em>
  <span> went to college, you certainly did. Did he really go to college?” She asked, genuinely a little serious, Ben chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah actually. He chose his major on how many girls were in each sign up group though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds about right.” Rey said. “Did you go to the same college?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Poe went to Stanford, I went to M.I.T.” Rey feigned shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, some of that sludge must have gotten in my ear, did you say Poe went to Stanford?” Ben chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s not as daft as he seems.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apparently.” Rey said. Ben stopped smoothing the paste around her ear and started to remove his rubber gloves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s you, I just need you to stay still for about 5 minutes while it hardens.” He told her, winding up the timer and Rey nodded. Although he was finished working on her, Ben didn’t get up. He sat on the floor in front of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, M.I.T. that’s impressive.” She said after a quiet moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was your major?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do I feel like I’m being interviewed?” He asked and they smiled at one another.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry. I’ve had all this information shoved into my brain about Hux this morning, I realised I didn’t actually know this stuff about you.” He smiled and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I don’t know these things about you either,” he shot back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I didn’t go to college so ha!” Rey retorted. Ben gave her a slight nod as if to say ‘fair enough’.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you want to?” He asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I kind of always knew that it wasn’t in the cards for me so I never really thought about it.” She attempted a small shrug but stopped when she moved too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you could go, what would you major in?” He asked. Rey thought for a minute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Global Studies. I hear it’s full of hotties.” Ben snorted a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mine was ‘Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences’ if you still want to know..” He told her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s amazing.” Rey told him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really. I ended up working for my mother and doing stuff like this.” Nodding his head towards the pink rubbery mess that was now turning white as it hardened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you rather be doing something else?” She asked him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right this second? No.” He told her, his dark eyes showing only sincerity. Her breath hitched at his boldness. She smiled at him finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very smooth, I bet all the smart girls fawned all over you.” He laughed at that, his cheeks now very pink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way, especially considering I was only 15 at the time.” He and Rey’s eyes widened in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You went to M.I.T. at 15?!” Ben smiled. “You will never cease to amaze me Ben Solo.” He met her eyes and they looked at each other for goodness knows how long. She could see the cogs turning behind his eyes. Processing all the things she’d said to him, trying to decide what to do with the words. For the tiniest second, she thought he might finally make a move. But the churning in his eyes told her that he still hadn’t fully figured it out yet. How much she wanted him. For a man who was as intelligent as he was, Ben sure had a hard time reading her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shrill ring of the timer, startled them both. Ben almost leaped out of his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll get that stuff off you.” He got to his knees and leaned over her. He started to pull at the hardened white rubber and Rey grimaced. It wasn’t sore, just uncomfortable. “Sorry.” He murmured. But Rey barely heard him, all that filled her mind was Ben. How close he was, the heat of him hovering over her, how he smelled musky and of strong coffee. He was a welcome distraction. When he pulled the mould free, he put it to one side and immediately grabbed the pack of wipes he had handy and cleaned the residue off her. Rey was hyper aware of him touching her now without the gloves, his skin on hers and it felt electric.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His wide eyes made her think that he felt it too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I um- I’ll get started with this tonight. You’ll get to see if it was all worth it tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No matter what it was that he was making, she was sure that it was worth this time with him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Where the hell is she?” Poe sighed exasperatedly, arms folded as he leaned against Ben’s desk. “How long does it take to fling on a dress?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s still a lady Poe, they take their time with things like this.” Hux said, fixing the cuffs of his crisp white shirt. Poe huffed. “Speaking of taking their time, did you ever manage to fix our communication problem Ben?” Hux asked, the pointed edge to his words riled Ben up but he wasn’t going to let Hux know that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did actually.” He said, reaching into his desk drawer, grabbing a small box and getting to his feet. Hux held his hand out to him and Ben slapped the box into his hand. Hux smirked and opened the box only for his face to drop at what was inside. He pulled out a watch, relatively aged, not particularly fancy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A hunk of junk Inspector Gadget looking watch?” Hux said in disbelief. Ben had to try extremely hard to hide his smirk at Hux’s obvious displeasure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sorry. It was all I could find at such short notice. It’s inscribed though.” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hux flipped the watch over in his hands, brows furrowing as he read the inscription on the back of the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love you always?” He read aloud, a little disgusted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And don’t you forget it.” Ben added with a wink, Hux shooting him an annoyed scowl. Ben thrust a clunky headset into Poe’s hands. “Watch the ears with that one, the feedback’s a bitch.” And with a self-satisfied smile Ben left them to it, fitting his own new headset, fingers running over the important box in his jacket pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>(</span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>Crack The Shutters – Snow Patrol </span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ben knocked lightly on the Wardrobe door. Named as such for the huge variety of possible costume changes within. Rey had been in there most of the day trying to sort herself an outfit for the evening’s event. Ben took the small box out of his pocket and fumbled with it in his hands while he waited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god Poe, I’ll be out when I’m ready!” Rey’s voice came from behind the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey, it’s me.” Ben replied, hearing shuffling around inside before Rey responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh sorry Ben, come in.” Slowly, he edged the door open, just in case he was catching her in a compromising position but surely she wouldn’t have invited him in?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey turned, her curled hair bouncing over her shoulder as she looked at him from under shimmering eyelids and full lashes. Ben didn’t know at what point he stopped breathing but he now found himself a little breathless.  She smiled that full smile that he loved, the one that brightened her whole face and subsequently, his entire day. She stood, tall on strappy heels, but still smaller than Ben and gave him a twirl. Her silvery dress draped around her, covering one shoulder but not the other, exposing one hip but not the other and displaying one long leg but not the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well? What do you think?” She asked and Ben attempted to take a breath but it wasn’t easy. He managed a loud, shuddering one but just barely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You … uh, you look-” He couldn’t find the words but the more he struggled the pinker Rey’s cheeks got. It seemed that his inability to conquer the English language was compliment enough. Eventually she took pity on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I pinned this side back,” she said referring to her hair that was pinned up on her right side. “I assume that you have something for this ear.” she said chuckling. Ben nodded and held out the little box to her. She grinned and took it, sitting back down to open it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She took off the lid and inside was a beautifully and intricately crafted metal ear cuff. It was silver and looked like vines, designed to wrap up and around Rey’s ear specifically. She grinned at it and looked up at Ben.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Worth it?” He asked her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very much so.” She replied happily. “This little thing has all your tech in it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not the cuff, that’s a two way radio. Your GPS and heart monitor are in here.” He reaches into the box on her lap and pulls out a plain silver ring. She takes the ring from him and slips it on, the band a little loose around her finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” She said deflated and held up her hand to him, her brows furrowed at the too big ring hanging limp on her finger. Ben smiled and reached for her, giving the ring a couple of twists and the ring tightened on her slender finger. “Oh!” she said again, smiling this time. Ben reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, showing her beating heart as spiking waves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a wonder you have any memory left on that phone with all the gadget apps you have on it.” She grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I upgraded the memory.” He said and she chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you did.” She held the delicate looking silver ear cuff out to him. “Can you show me how to put it on?” Ben swallowed, his throat becoming dry and nodded. He moved to kneel in front of her and she leaned towards him, the air moving around her filled with the spicy, vanilla scent of her perfume and Ben felt intoxicated. He took the cuff from her hands and slipped it on easily, the curves and kinks in the metal vines fitting perfectly into and around the shape of her ear. “How do I work it?” She asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to do anything, Rey.” Ben touched a piece of the cuff that wrapped inside her ear. “This is the speaker, you’ll hear me through here.” Ben showed her his mic that he had attached to his ear and coming along the front of his jaw. “And this bit,” His fingers trailed around the jewellry, stroking the piece that fitted snugly behind her ear, stopping just by her jaw, feeling her heart beating under the pads of his fingers.. “The little pad here is the microphone, I can hear you through it now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can?” She whispered. He heard her clear as day in his ear. He nodded. “Amazing. As always, Ben Solo.” They watched each other intensely, their faces so close to one another, Ben’s fingers lingering on the soft skin of her neck. His eyes flitted to her lips, made pinker than usual by make up, slightly parted, almost as if the same thought was drifting through her head as was Ben’s. It’d be so easy, to just lean in slightly and kiss her. Feel her lips on his, what her hair felt like between his fingers, to feel her fingers clutching a fistful of his sweater. He could do it right now, feel all that and more, know what it was to kiss the most perfect woman he’d ever met, if only he’d just lean in and do it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door burst open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Hey.” Poe stopped in the doorway, eyes wide and uncharacteristically silent, looking between the two of them. Ben dropped his head and the hand that had been touching Rey fell to his side in disappointment and Rey sighed, turning to Poe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just coming, Poe.” She told him firmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I was … uh - I was just checking on you.” He said finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be right out.” She said and he nodded, turning and leaving the doorway he’d burst through a second before. Rey reached up and rested a hand on Ben’s cheek, making him look at her. She smiled. “Thank you Ben.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She got to her feet and Ben stood with her, the two of them hovering unsure for a moment before Rey followed Poe out and down the hall. Ben pressed the button on the earpiece to allow him to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look beautiful Rey.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben, Poe and Finn all crammed into the van was uncomfortable to say the least. Ben was used to getting it all to himself. The three of them squashed shoulder to shoulder like sardines in a tin. The two backseat agents were just getting in Ben’s way as he patched his and Poe’s headsets through the main panel in the surveillance van, all the while Poe raved on about Ben’s - non-existent - love life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m telling ya Finn, it was really damn close!” Poe yammered. “I’m surprised he didn’t need a cold shower after that!” He said chuckling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Finn said, the slight disbelief in his tone was mildly insulting to Ben considering it was he that had encouraged him in the first place!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is not what was happening.” Ben said flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon man! Are you kidding!? The sexual tension was </span>
  <em>
    <span>heavy</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Her bedroom eyes were dialed to 11!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben paused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Her</span>
  </em>
  <span> bedroom eyes?” Finn asked, amused surprise lighting up his face. Yeah, Ben had caught that too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, she was totally into it!” Poe barked. Shaking himself, Ben gave his friend a light slap on the arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you shut up, the mics set up now.” He said but he couldn’t control the slight smirk that tainted his face. Poe laughed at him but before he could say anything more, Ben put a shushing finger to his lips and pushed the speaker button.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, guys, you’re patched through to all three of us, do you read?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Affirmative.” Hux’s voice comes through rather stony.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hear ya Ben.” Rey responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’re here too Rey!” Poe leans forwards and yells into the mic in the centre console. Ben glares at him and pushes him back from the mic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you don’t need to yell grandpa.” Ben says flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, thank you Ben.” Rey’s voice came snarkily. He could just imagine her clutching her ear as Poe screamed into her earpiece. Ben saw their car roll up the street outside Phasma’s villa on his screen, displaying footage from the villa’s security systems that Ben had tapped into. Rich people were so dumb. Displaying their home security system on the side of their house as if that was going to deter him, all it told him was whose network to hack into. He could switch between the feeds from all over the property, including a mystery room, shrouded in darkness that could be anywhere in the house. He was sure that room was exactly where they needed to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey, I’m seeing a miscellaneous room on here. It’s dark but I can’t see any distinctive furniture or anything, storage room maybe?” Ben tells her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, can you see the layout at all? Long room, small? High ceilings? Windows?” Her voice came and Ben’s eyes scanned the feed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Decent sized, low ceilings, no windows.” Ben tells her. She hums.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a basement actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or a sex dungeon,” Poe adds. Ben gives him a look of derision.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gross, Poe.” Rey responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” He shrugs. “Have you ever seen a sex dungeon with windows? That’s a disaster waiting to happen.” He says, so matter-of-factly. Finn shakes his head but laughs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben, deciding not to enter into this area of conversation - not with Rey listening anyways - takes out his phone and plugged it into his control panel, Rey’s heart beating away on the screen and then turns his attention back to the villa entrance camera displayed on the screen next to it. Rey and Hux’s car comes to a stop outside the bustling front door and a short man in an ill fitting blazer stepped forward to open the car door. Hux climbed out, buttoning his suit jacket as he did so before leaning down to take Rey’s hand and pull her out the car behind him. One long leg emerging from the car first, the rest of her following, her silver dress falling into place as she stood tall. Poe let out a long whistle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s some dress Ms Johnson.” He said. Rey didn’t respond now, she was playing the part of a doting girlfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That it is.” Ben agreed absentmindedly, forgetting for a moment that she could hear him. His embarrassment was calmed when he saw her heart rate spike on the monitor. He hid a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Ben,” Poe started. “You play Sharp Dressed Man for Finn and I when we strut into parties, is Rey not getting a song?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, what song would Rey have?” Finn chimed in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben thought for a moment. It wasn’t that there wasn’t a song that suited Rey, it was more that recently, he’d been finding his mind drift to her when he listened to most songs. Picking one specific song that would both inspire her to be the powerful woman that she was but also convey the effect she had on everyone else was a hard task indeed. So, when Ben answered, he had to go with the song that came to his mind first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Black Magic Woman.” He said. Poe nodded approvingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard that.” Rey’s voice whispers, sounding annoyed. Ben had to assume that she’d never heard the song because he sounded mildly insulted. If that were true however, without the context of the lyrics, he could understand how one might find the title insulting. Ben covered the mic with his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was supposed to be a flirt, did that not come across?” He whispered. Finn looked sympathetic and shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Evidently not, Romeo.” Poe added. Ben groaned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hux and Rey entered the villa, the sheer opulence of the place made Rey’s mind boggle. The fact that the woman had security and metal detectors set up in her foyer just added to the extravagance. On approach, she could see one of the guards very obviously eyeing her up. She dropped her eyelashes flirtatiously, giving him a sly smile. He blushed. Good, establish a connection. Eye contact, make him acknowledge her. When she approached the archway, she stopped and he waved her through with a smile. Unsurprisingly, the metal detectors alarm sounded. Rey feigned surprise and began to flounder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, I’m so sorry. What did I do wrong?” She said, her voice more high pitched than usual, a little damsel-in-distress-y. The guard smiled warmly as he approached.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing to worry about Miss, I’ll just need to take to the side here for a pass over with the wand.” He held up a metal detector wand to show her, she smiled and held out her hand for him to take. He took it happily and led her off to the side, from over her shoulder she could hear Hux protesting over keeping his watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you want me?” Rey asked the guard, her voice a little more sultry now, allowing her thigh to protrude further out of the high slit in her dress, tilting her head and showing off her bare neck and shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re perfect as you are.” He said, his voice a little croaky. Rey smiled. The guard waved the wand over her and it beeped twice. Once at her ring and once at her ear cuff. She gave the guard side glance under heavy eyelids, a little smile quirking her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not in trouble, am I sir?" she said, her voice sultry and alluring. The guard liked it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh and the smoking hot, up-and-comer has dove right in with a blatant flirt!" Poe bellows in her ear dramatically as if he's the announcer of a baseball match. "Will the highly trained, well experienced security guard fall for it?" Rey has to forcibly stop her eyes from rolling. If he plays 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game', she is going to kill him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Poe will you shut up!" Ben snapped back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guard smiled at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not at all." He told her. "Unless you're hiding something under that dress." He smirked and waved her over with the wand again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And it's a flirt back from the guard!" Poe yells. "Will Rey actually be able to talk her way out of this one?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're welcome to perform a pat down ... if you find it necessary." She says with a smirk. The guard grins back at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wouldn't want to anger your boyfriend over there." He nods over at Hux, who watched them impatiently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Another time maybe?" She says, giving him a wink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guard smiled and allowed Rey to take her leave, that was far too easy she noted. She and Hux made their way back to one another and Hux slipped an arm around her waist. If it had been under any other circumstances she probably would have removed his hand currently stroking the bare skin of her waist but right now it helped them play their part. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben, you’re amazing. They didn’t suspect a thing.” Rey whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I think that was all you there Rey.” Poe replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they thought my watch could barely tell time, never mind be used for anything else.” Hux complained and in the van Ben couldn’t help but smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll do a lap, get a free drink and then we’ll try and get into that room.” Rey murmured, the speaker in the van picking her voice up crystal clear. “Ben, can you find a floor plan or something of this monstrosity?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Already on it Rey.” He said back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two work well together.” Finn remarked, hitting the comms switch so that Rey didn’t hear him. Ben had to agree, they seemed to work on the same wavelength.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, how come you guys can do missions and stuff just fine but when you just talk to each other it gets all awkward and lusty?” Poe added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do not get awkward and lusty.” Ben replied, most of his attention on finding information for Rey but still seeming to allow himself to be sucked into this conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you get awkward. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She</span>
  </em>
  <span> gets lusty.” Poe corrected. Ben paused. He told himself that he should brush Poe’s comments off, he was probably just yanking his chain, as usual. But momentarily, Ben’s eyes drifted to Rey’s steady heartbeat pulsing on the screen beside him. There was one way that Ben could see if Poe was right about what he saw in the Wardrobe, she already had the ring on by that point. A brief history of her heart was stored in his phone and it would be so easy to check. There’s nothing wrong with just checking ...  Ben made a mental note of the idea and filed it away for later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re ridiculous.” Is all Ben says, his attention going back to the task at hand. He was able to get into the city’s building records and find Phasma’s address. The plans for the house download quickly and Ben zooms in, scanning the room sizes and layouts, looking for any inaccuracies. Rey was right, there was a rather sizable cellar. It only had one entrance, a staircase leading down to it hidden behind a single door in the house’s main foyer. Ben flips his mic back on. “There’s a door down that hall you’re in now Rey, on your left, there’s a cellar through there.” He tells her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey’s eyes scan the hallway, looking around the throngs of people dressed as elegantly as her and Hux holding glasses of their favourite tipple. A rather burly security guard stood motionless at the door in question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hux leads her past the door, both of them eyeing it as they do. The door lock seemed pretty standard, probably relying on the guard to protect what’s inside. They head to the bar, receive two glasses of champagne and Hux pulls Rey in tighter to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we just need to get rid of the guard, get past the door and find the crates without getting caught, how hard could it be?.” He remarked quietly by her, his smile slightly mischievous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(</span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>Feeling Good – Michael Buble </span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey looked at the crowd, bustling bodies starting to sway with each other. Couples coming together, starting to move together to the music. Rey grinned as an idea struck her. She took Hux’s glass from his hand and handed it and hers to a passing waiter. Hux’s expression was confused meeting Rey’s bright, wicked eyes. She grabbed Hux’s shirt and pulled him close to her to whisper in his ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dance with me.” She breathed, Hux grinned back at her, more than happy to fulfill her request.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben’s eyes widened upon hearing Rey’s sultry request. Her voice buttery and smooth, made his stomach flip and he couldn’t blame the other agent for doing as she asked. That didn’t mean that he was happy about it though. He flicked through the villa's security cameras to find the beautiful girl in the silvery dress. When he does, he wishes he hadn't bothered. She wrapped around Hux, her arms snaking around his neck, hands in his hair. His hands roam her body, his fingers gripping at her bare flesh and stroking the silk of her dress. He moved her with the music that Ben could hear through their earpieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben clenched his fists, breathing hard at what he was watching and despite never uncovering this trait about himself before, he found that he was absolutely and furiously jealous. Poe and Finn exchanged a mildly worried glance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey allowed the music to wash over her and turn her into this slightly manic, overly sensual woman who just couldn't get enough of her man. It was a decent enough ruse. To be so enthralled with your partner that no one bats an eye when you slip away together. To a dark, mysterious basement perhaps? Hux had caught on quick and to Rey's surprise, the situation had done something to him too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually so suave and charming, Rey could see something different on his face now. Something animalistic. His eyes were darkened and the smile that played on his lips was devilish. Rey found that she was enjoying him like this much more than she thought she would. She wondered if it was an act, just for show. Her eyes drifted to his lips, she couldn't help but wonder if he kissed like the gentleman she had thought he was or if this wilder side of him would take over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Grab my thigh." She whispered, the words tumbling out before she had properly thought them through. Hux happily followed her instructions. Rey didn't know what she had been expecting but his soft hands with a bruising grip setting her body on fire was not it. Almost as if he could feel her heart racing under her skin, Hux flashed her a devastating smile and leaned in, his breath brushing her ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ms Johnson, I'm stunned. I thought you were a good girl." He whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good girls are just bad girls who have never been caught." She told him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sentence she uttered sent a shiver through Ben. He watched her heart rate jump erratically, knowing that all this wasn't completely an act. She was enjoying this. His arms around her, his hands on her skin, his words in her ear, she was loving every second of it. And it was killing Ben.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What are you doing later Rey?" Hux's voice came. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"After this?" She asked. "Taking a cold shower most likely." She replied, breathing a small laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How about instead you come to dinner with me?" He asked her. When she didn't respond right away, Ben could feel Poe and Finn's curious eyes burning into him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey didn't know what to say. Did she find Hux lovely and charming? Yes. Did she think he was devastatingly handsome? Definitely. Did she want to see what kind of animal he became when they were alone? God yes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she couldn't shake Ben, acutely aware of his presence in her ear. The way he looked at her earlier was still seared into her brain, his eyes flitting over her as if she were untouchable. Maybe that's all he'd ever see her as.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can I get back to you?" She breathed, her heart thudding in her chest. Hux nodded and smiled tenderly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence in the van was intense. Ben's knuckles had gone white with tension, Rey's slight hesitation doing nothing to calm him considering he could see Hux's effect on her. Ben turned off the comms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well Poe," Ben said, his voice hoarse. "I guess you were wrong."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not wrong Ben." Poe insisted. "I'm telling you, I know what I'm talking about. That girl wants you. All you did was get her fired up to leave her hanging and then sent her into the arms of a sexy, ginger Englishman with wandering hands!" Poe exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She's clearly into him Poe!" Ben argued back, once again being sucked into conversations with Poe that he wanted no part of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She's </span>
  <em>
    <span>attracted </span>
  </em>
  <span>to him. We all are," Poe continued. Ben grimaces and Finn shakes his head. "But she's </span>
  <em>
    <span>into</span>
  </em>
  <span> you. He's got confidence that's all. He knows what he wants and he goes for it. Just tell her what </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> want Ben."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben stared at his friend. Usually so full of ridicule and buffoonery, Ben was actually a little surprised when he realised that the things he was saying actually made a lot of sense. Unfortunately, Ben's attention was caught immediately by the wet sound of lips on skin. He looked to the camera to see Hux with his mouth exploring the skin of Rey's slender neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see Phasma anywhere.” Rey said, her voice a little breathless. Ben grit his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mhm. We could use a guard distraction about now." Hux's mumbled voice added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank god. This was getting way too after school special.” Poe said shrugging off his leather jacket. He presses to turn the comms back on. “I’m on it.” He tells Hux. Poe unbuttons the top two buttons of his shirt and rubs his hands in his hair, giving it a good muss. “Do we have any liquor?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the van? No.” Ben says. “My mum would kill me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I don’t want to get you grounded.” Poe snorts a laugh. “Okay, punch me then.” He says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, no.” Ben immediately declines, eyes wide. Poe sighs, annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” At Ben’s second decline, Finn sits upright and punches his partner square in the mouth. Poe’s head snaps to the side and then he turns back again, licking blood from his lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks buddy.” Poe says, completely genuinely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem.” And Poe jumped out the van, leaving a confused Ben behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn points to the security screens and clicks over to the camera watching the entrance gate of Phasma’s villa. A familiar figure stumbles up the drive, blood pouring from his lip and starting to yell abuse at anyone he passes. It seems like complete nonsense but it’s enough. He’s grabbed by two members of security and he thrashes and kicks himself free, hitting both men and continuing on. From their place on the ground, security calls for backup and soon more of them pour out the villa and down the drive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over Rey’s shoulder, Hux sees the security listen intently in his earpiece before abandoning his post to rush outside. Once the space is vacated, Hux gently nudges Rey back until she’s pressed against the door. Hux runs his fingers through her soft hair, removing her bobby pins as he does. He pushes one into her hand and shoves the other one into the lock. Rey reaches behind her and pushes her pin into the door lock, anchored by Hux’s pin, Rey’s maneuvers her pin against the tumblers, undoing them slowly. All the while Hux was pressed against her, leaving open mouthed kisses where her neck met her shoulder. He paused when he felt the last tumbler in the lock click and he turned the handle, pushing Rey through the door, him following closely behind. The door clicking closed behind them, plunged them into darkness and Hux reached into his pocket for his phone, using it as a torch. There was only a staircase down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think there’s a basement down here Ben?” Rey said quietly. No answer. “Ben?” She repeated apprehensively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the van, Ben stared into the middle distance. The image of Hux pressing himself against Rey’s body burned behind his eyes. Inexplicably, his chest hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben.” Finn whispered loudly, drawing his attention. Finn nodded to the comms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben?” Startled by Rey’s voice, her warm, lovely voice, saying his name. “There’s only stairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-” Ben croaked, he coughed and cleared his throat. “Yeah, there’s a room at the bottom.” He said dryly. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>sounded</span>
  </em>
  <span> pissed. He wondered if Rey could tell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey didn’t reply. She could hear the tension in his voice, it was aimed at her but she didn’t push it. What was his problem anyway? It crossed her mind that it might stem from jealousy, of Hux’s handling of her, her clear enjoyment of it. Guilt swept over her but only for a second before it was replaced by anger. If he really was jealous, it was his own fault. She’d stayed in his lab long into the night most nights, in the hopes that being alone he’d finally make a move. Even tonight, they’d been so close. Rey had smelled the soap scent in his hair, he’d been so close. All he had to do was kiss her. How difficult was that!?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey pushed the thoughts from her mind, trying to remain focused on her actual job. The staircase finished and the walls opened out into a large room. From Hux’s brief scan with the light of his phone, they could see that the room was full of crates, all differing in size.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys, there’s loads of crates here. Should we just start tearing into them?” Rey asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we can’t guarantee you that much time.” Finn replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll look for the ones that you’ve been following. See what was so important that they gave you guys the run around.” Hux said. Rey nodded in agreement. They set about finding the crates quickly, scanning tracking numbers on each shipment for the right ones. They didn’t bother going too far into the room, the crates in question would more likely be near the front considering they hadn’t been here long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey found them and read the tracking numbers back to the boys in the van, who had since been joined by Poe after making a daring escape from Phasma’s goons, for them to confirm that she had the right ones. Hux handed her his phone and began to pry the crate open with his hands. Rey marvelled a little at the show of strength. She wondered if he had impressive arms to go with with it. Her train of thought halted when he finally got the lid of the wooden box and she peered inside. Her brows knitted in confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s … cables?” She said confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s what?” She heard in her ear. She wasn’t sure which one of them it was, maybe a combination of all three? Rey looked to Hux whose expression matched hers, she put her hand in the box and rummaged around, pulling out a handful. “It’s literally just cables and stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t seem like something you’d have to sneak into the country.” Hux says. He starts to snap photos of the box’s contents. “Give these to Ben to have a look at later.” He adds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s awful nice of me.” Ben mumbles, watching the dark room on the screen. He can’t see Hux or Rey, just the light emanating from them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, guys.” Finn said. “Poe’s security buddies are on their way to you … and Phasma’s with them.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hux and Rey look to each other, eyes wide. When the footsteps at the top of the stairs start, they scramble to get the lids back on the crates. But that’s only one problem, the other was how they were gonna talk their way out of this. With the only exit occupied, they were stuck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben, Finn and Poe could only hear the clattering of wood, Hux and Rey assumingly reassembling things as they found them. They had no idea what was happening beyond that. They’d seen Phasma and her security enter the door what seemed like ages ago, surely their comrades had been caught by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” They heard Phasma shout. Rey’s heart rate spiked and jumped dramatically on the monitor, her heart beat going crazy. Ben’s eyes widened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey?!” He shouted, panic overcoming him. “Rey! What’s happening, are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Ben?” Poe’s voice came hesitantly. “I think she’s fine.” Ben turned to Poe, who then turned his attention to the security screen. The cellar on screen, now flooded with light and containing 5 people. Two of them were tangled in an erotic kiss, lips crashing, hands roaming skin, fingers grabbing hair and it knocked the air right out of Ben’s lungs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! What the hell is this!?” Phasma’s furious voice broke through, breaking the trance that Rey had found herself under. Her earlier question had been answered when in the panic of being caught, Hux’s idea was to kiss her and continue their “besotted lovers” cover story. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> kiss like a gentleman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was hungry and fierce and despite it being merely a cover, Rey found herself being totally overcome with it. His hands on her, roaming, caressing, sliding dangerously high up her bare thigh. When he broke away from her, she was breathless. He was too. His eyes bore into hers, wide with surprise at how eagerly she’d kissed him back. How she’d let her fingers tug in his hair and pressed herself into him. Finally, he looked away and turned to Phasma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Ms Phasma! I’m so sorry.” He said, Rey buried her face against his chest. She hoped that she was coming across as a bashful girlfriend, caught in the act and not a fully grown woman, reduced to a shivering mess by one kiss, who needed a minute to come down and compose herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hux?” Phasma said. “What the hell is going on here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, we were -” He stuttered. “Looking for a bit of privacy.” He said quieter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Hux spoke, Ben watched as he continued to grab Rey’s thigh, her tiny fists balled with handfuls of his suit jacket. He had finally had enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need some air.” He said, clambering past his friends to climb out of the van.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey heard Ben leave, he had forgotten to turn off the mic like he had done all night, a small click let her know that he was saying something not for her ears. Not this time though. Her stomach knotted and flipped, she didn’t know what to do. She felt terrible but it’s not like she and Ben were a thing. And she couldn’t deny how Hux’s kiss had made her feel. It was like all her time with Ben and even their almost moment in the Wardrobe had her wound up so tight that when Hux kissed her she finally felt a release.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I sincerely hope that this is your girlfriend Hux.” Hux sighed a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Yeah, it is. This is Rey.” Rey peered out at the tall woman, cheeks pink, and gave a slightly embarrassed but genuine smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi.” She said timidly. Phasma looked Rey up and down, her eyes lingering a little longer on the parts of her that was just tanned skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Rey, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Phasma said, giving her the same playful look that Poe sometimes gave her. “Hux, while I totally understand your needs, I’d appreciate it if you ravaged your stunning girlfriend at your place rather than mine.” She said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Ms Phasma. Excellent idea.” Hux smiled and took Rey’s hand, taking her with him as he headed for the exit stairs. As they brushed by his boss, the blonde woman grabbed Rey’s wrist and pulled her close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you ever get sick of him, give me a call.” She told Rey, smiling wickedly. Phasma gave her a wink and Rey genuinely blushed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hux helped Rey into his black car, tucking her dress in after her. He jogged around the car and climbed in the driver’s side and pulled away quickly. When they were out of the drive and back on residential streets, Rey breathed a sigh of relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hux got some photos of those cables, I’ll send you them to have a look at Ben.” Rey said. It was quiet for a moment before someone responded to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Ben isn’t here Rey. He had to jump back to the office.” Finn told her. So he was mad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Send them over though and we'll send them to him.” Finn replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s fine. I need to head back to the office to change anyway. I’ll give them to him.” She said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Finn said before disconnecting altogether.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, about dinner.” Hux said, looking over at her with a charming smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t get a cab back to the office. For a while Ben just walked. He contemplated going for a drink but that just seemed way closer to self pity than he was comfortable with. So he just walked back to the office. The city air was cooler at night time and Ben took deep breaths allowing the cold air to chill his lungs. He thought about what Finn had said to him. About not waiting too long. Was this what he meant? That if he didn’t stop pining, Rey would stop waiting? That she would be swayed by a man who made it clear to her how much he wanted her. Ben could be mad at Hux all he wanted but it wasn’t going to change the facts. That had Ben been a little more like Hux, perhaps he’d be walking home to her instead of back to his empty lab.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he got there he flipped on the lamp on his desk and sank into his chair. On his computer, he loaded up tonight’s data. Coming face to face again with the hard evidence of Rey’s kiss with Hux on the heart monitor reader.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(</span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span> The Mess I Made – Parachute </span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The clicking of heeled shoes coming closer drew his attention. It was Rey. She looked different now, in skinny jeans and a fluttering burgundy top but she looked no less stunning. She never did. It was certainly a date night outfit. She smiled softly at him and he had to look away for fear of it killing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” She said sweetly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi.” He said, barely able to look up at her. He knew if he did, it would finally hit him, how much of a mistake he’d made.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I brought you photos to look at. It’s the stuff in the crates.” She said timidly, holding a small flash drive out to him. “If anyone’s smart enough to figure what they’re for it’s you.” She chuckled lightly. When he didn’t take the drive from her, she placed it gently on his desk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben, I-” She started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, big date with Hux? I’m sure that’ll be very lavish.” Ben cut in, knowing that whatever she was about to say was going to make him feel even worse than he already did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” She said, not sounding overly ecstatic about it but that could be down to how much of dick Ben was being. “Unless- I could stay? If you need help? If you want me to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her lifeline hung in the air. She was handing him a chance, an opportunity to finally tell her. Tell her what exactly it was that he wanted. He just had to take it. All he had to do was tell her that yes, he wanted her to stay. He wanted her to stay with him. He wanted to keep her and hold her and never let her go. He could stand up and kiss her, hold her face in his hands and tell her that he wanted her and only her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Rey’s pounding heart on his screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’s nothing I can’t handle.” He said, brushing her off. She stepped forward and put her hand on his where it rested on top of his mouse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben.” She said, her voice almost begging him to look at her. It almost worked too but he was saved by Finn, Poe and Hux approaching at that moment. Ben pulled his hand away from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey, you look great.” Finn complimented her. Hux moved to stand beside her, his arm snaking around her body. Ben could see his hand gripping her hip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You certainly do.” Hux added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are you guys off to then?” Finn asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cantina 77.” Hux said bragging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, nice joint. How’d you swing that?” Poe asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I managed to pull some strings and get them to stay open for us. I booked a few days ago in the hopes Rey would say yes.” Ben’s fingers tensed at his words. He moved to hide his tightly balled fists under his desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice.” Poe said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shall we get going?” Hux asked Rey. Ben never heard her respond but he assumed she did because within seconds, they were walking out of the building. Poe gave Ben a pat on the shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry man.” He said before he left too. Ben finally looked up, watching Rey leave with Hux, she threw him a quick look over her shoulder and when their eyes met, it crushed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I waited too long, didn’t I?” Ben said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so buddy.” Finn said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Finn left, Ben decided that he didn’t want to do this tonight. All he wanted </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a drink and self pity. He shut his computer down and left it behind for the night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a shame that he never circled back around to his earlier idea. Because if he had checked, he would have found that despite how Hux made Rey’s heart flutter, it was nothing compared to the drastic spiking that it made when Ben almost kissed her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finn ran. He ran faster and harder than he ever had in his life. He ran so hard that it was getting difficult to breathe but stopping wasn’t an option.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had no idea what time it was, again. And again he’d woken up in a random place in the city having no memory of how he got there. He didn’t run right away. In fact, this was becoming such a regular occurance that he’d started slowing down, taking a step back, trying to figure some of it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tonight was different though. From the second he came to, he could feel eyes on him. He didn’t know where they were or who they were but they were watching him for sure, doing absolutely nothing. If tonight hadn’t been different from the others, Finn would have gone looking for the ominous onlooker but when Finn assessed himself he realized that he was soaked through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at himself, his clothes, his hands, his face were covered in an unmistakable, sicky, warm wetness. Blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is what sent him running.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was in no pain so the blood certainly wasn’t his and that was what scared him the most. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>wished</span>
  </em>
  <span> that the blood had been his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he ran. He ran and ran and didn’t stop until he got to his house. To the only person he really trusted. The only one who’d understand why he’d been keeping this secret. The only one who could help him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He battered his door, not stopping until it swung open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finn? Finn! What the hell happened?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poe. You gotta help me. I think I’ve done something terrible.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Why does EVERYONE fancy Rey? Cause I fancy Rey and I say so! Dont @ me!</p><p>Hux is sexy but he's not Ben, REYLO 4 LYF<br/>although imagine that dance, i'd disappear to a basement with that man</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Episode 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Poe demonstrates his knack for shenannigans and Rey and Ben vi for the same deep cover mission.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!</p><p>I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update but believe me, I'm still here, still writing this fic and we're just about to kick off!<br/>Thank you to my beta @a_littlelessconversation for whipping my butt and getting me back on track!</p><p>I've also updated the tags if you want peruse them to see if they're okay with you before we go on this journey together &lt;3</p><p>Once again, here's the link to the sountrack on spotify.<br/>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74CsZkeOOggFe7X2qktzgP?si=w2qI-Q95Sf6EqFnQIxAkmg<br/>(yes, Hero is from a disney movie but trust me, it works haha)<br/>I'm thinking about making the playlist on YouTube as well, let me know if you'd prefer that!</p><p>Come and say hi on twitter! @someonesbh</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Poe was never one for getting involved in other people’s personal lives. It was messy, unnecessary and ultimately proved to be no benefit to Poe. So he just didn’t do it. But tonight was different.</p><p>It could have been seeing his lifelong best friend burst out of the security van at the sight of another man kissing the girl of his dreams. It could have been the fact that while Ben wallowed in self-pity and Rey had another, very handsome, guy wrapped around her, she couldn’t take her eyes off Ben. But Poe was certain it was the look that he saw in Hux’s eyes that inspired his evening’s activities. The way Hux looked between Rey and Ben was vicious and calculating and Poe didn’t like it at all.</p><p>So he did something about it.</p><p> </p><p>(♫ Feel It Still – Portugal. The Man ♫)</p><p> </p><p>The first misfortune of Rey and Hux’s evening was easy. Poe gave Ben a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and an apology, before disappearing off to his office, a grin spreading across his face. It was easy to find the number of the restaurant and even easier to put on an English accent and impersonate Hux.</p><p>The phone rang and on the second ring, the restaurant picked up.</p><p>“Hello, Cantina 77, Rian speaking, how can I help you today?” the voice on the other end said.</p><p>“Yeah, hi,” Poe replied, his fake accent heavy and thick. “This is Armitage Hux, I’m just calling to cancel my reservation tonight.”</p><p>“But Mr Hux, we’ve kept the restaurant open late for you. We don’t do that for just anyone.” The man protested.</p><p>“I know, I’m sorry. What can I say? The girl didn’t want to date me. Bummer.” Poe responded.</p><p>“We’re going to have to charge you the cancellation fee Sir,” Rian said bluntly, clearly annoyed.</p><p>“That’s fine, just take it from the card on the reservation,” Poe told him. “Oh, and tip all the staff $50 each.” He added, trying his hardest not to snicker.</p><p>“Really? $50? Each?” Rian squawked.</p><p>“Yeah, of course. Least I can do. You have a good night now.” Poe wrapped up, listening to Rian’s thank yous before hanging up.</p><p>Okay, well that was taken care of but Poe didn’t for one second think that Hux would give up on the night that easy. Poe had seen that kiss too. No, the man was an animal. Poe grabbed his leather jacket off the back of his office chair and sprinted from the building.</p><p> </p><p>Part two of Poe’s date ruining antics consisted of Poe hailing a cab and hauling ass to the restaurant, paying the driver extra to get him to put his foot down. It was worth the extra money because Poe was lurking across the street from Cantina 77 when Hux rolled up in his Jaguar F-Type Coupé. They parked up on Poe’s side of the road and wandered up to the darkened restaurant. Hux knocked on the door several times and even tried to call them when no one came to the door. Poe made his way to Hux’s car in a crouched position, hiding behind it’s sleek, black body. He strained his ears to hear what they were saying.</p><p>“I definitely booked a table,” Hux said frustrated.</p><p>“It’s fine. We can have dinner another time.” Rey said, sounding entirely disinterested.</p><p>“No, it’s not fine!” He snapped before sighing. “I’m sorry Rey.”</p><p>“It’s fine.” She said again.</p><p>“How about we go back to my place? I’ll make you something, I’m an excellent cook.” Hux suggested, making his voice deeper.</p><p>Now <em> that </em> was an excellent idea, Poe thought. Shame about the car tyire damage. Poe pulled the pen that he’d lodged into the tyire’s sidewall out and listened to it hiss. He scrambled over to the other tyrire and did that one too. One tyire was a quick tyire change, two was a tow truck call out. Poe scurried back to his initial hiding place and watched.</p><p>By the time Hux and Rey got back in the car, it was noticeably lopsided. Poe had to cover his mouth to stop from laughing out loud. Hux got back out the car, a small alarm sounding from inside and stormed around to Rey’s side, absolutely livid. He was a smart guy though, he knew that he only had one spare so he immediately called a tow truck.</p><p>“Someone’s done this.” He hissed to Rey, holding his phone to his ear. She climbed out of the car now.</p><p>“There’s no one here Hux. Maybe you skimmed the curb when you pulled up.” She suggested. Ever so polite and sweet Rey.</p><p>“I didn’t-” He snapped. “I didn’t skim the curb, Rey.” He said calmer now. “Yes, hello, I need a pick-up!” He barked down the phone. Poe watched Rey, totally fed up, regret in her eyes as she watched Hux snap and snarl at an innocent stranger down the phone.</p><p>Poe felt sorry for her. He knew he had been right. She wasn’t really interested in Hux, not as a person anyway, that much was clear. Poe saw the way she looked at Ben in the Wardrobe. She had never looked at Hux or him or anyone else like that. Hux was just the first to give her what she was craving from Ben.</p><p>Hux hung up the phone and hailed a cab. Poe huffed. Christ, this guy was really desperate for some action. If Poe had anything to do with it, he wasn’t going to get it. When the two of them bundled into the taxi and it disappeared around the corner, Poe hailed one of his own. </p><p>By the time Poe got to Hux’s apartment building, they were nowhere in sight. Probably already inside. It was easy for Poe to slip inside the building, there wasn’t security on the main door, the security came when you tried to use the lift without an apartment key. That was fine, Poe didn’t want to get upstairs. He wanted everyone up there to come down.</p><p>He kept his head down, making sure the CCTV cameras didn’t catch his face. There was no one else in the lobby so, with his elbow, he smashed the fire alarm and pulled the trigger.</p><p>Poe stood nearby, watching the building’s residents pour out into the street, in various stages of dress. Poe called his night of shenanigans a success when he saw an insistent Rey bidding a rather desperate Hux a goodnight, jumping eagerly into a cab, leaving Hux alone on the sidewalk, unsatisfied.</p><p>Despite how often Poe and Rey bickered and beat the crap out of each other, Poe felt a warm rush in his chest knowing that she was going home to her own bed and not curling up with a sleazy ginger. He just felt bad that Ben was probably tossing and turning at home, unable to think of anything other than Hux’s wandering hands on his girl.</p><p> </p><p>He popped open a beer at home, settling down on his couch, smiling to himself. He couldn’t get Hux’s enraged face out of his head. He didn’t usually get involved with other people’s love lives that was true but tonight, he knew that he’d done good.</p><p>A violent hammering on his door rattled him. His face confused, Poe deposited his beer on the coffee table and went to the door. The insistent knocking didn’t stop until he pulled the door open.</p><p>He was met with Finn, wide-eyed, panting, scared and a smear of blood across his face. It was all over him.</p><p>“Finn? Finn! What the hell happened?” asked Poe, panic rising in his chest.</p><p>“Poe. You gotta help me. I think I’ve done something terrible.” He said, his voice hoarse from running. Poe pulled him inside, checking no one had seen his friend in this state and slammed the door shut.</p><p>Before anything, Poe got his friend a clean t-shirt and sat him down. Finn wasn’t trembling as such but he was certainly jittery, as if the blood on him was making him itch. Poe handed him a damp cloth and Finn wiped the dried blood off his skin.</p><p>Poe sat quietly while Finn recounted to him everything he could recall, however little it was. He nodded along, uncharacteristically silent, listening to Finn’s every garbled and panicked word. When Finn finally reached the events of the evening, he seemed to finally calm down, almost as if telling someone had lifted the burden from his shoulders.</p><p>He waited expectantly for Poe’s reaction and Poe breathed a long, heavy sigh.</p><p>“Why am I only hearing about this now?” Poe’s affronted tone was not what Finn was expecting.</p><p>“I didn’t see the point in letting everyone know I was frickin’ sleepwalking or something until I knew more.” Finn defended himself, Poe chuffed a sardonic laugh.</p><p>“Sleepwalking?! You’ve been losing time! Doing god knows what!” He suggested towards Finn’s discarded clothing, stained deep burgundy. “You should have told me.” Poe seethed.</p><p>Finn rarely heard Poe speak with so much scorn, he was usually a take it on the chin and walk it off kind of person.</p><p>“I thought I could deal with it.” Poe shook his head and sighed again, some of his disdain evaporating with it. He rubbed his fingers into his eyelids and pinched the bridge of his nose.</p><p>“Okay, okay. You said you set up surveillance on yourself but <em> you </em> shut it off?”</p><p>“Sleeping me did, yeah,” Finn confirmed.</p><p>“So you’re sentient-ish? Aware enough to shut down your own traps anyway.”</p><p>“That’s what I’m worried about, how many of my other … skills have I used?” Poe nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Okay,” He started. “Until further notice, you’re crashing here where I can keep an eye on you. Plus, Ben set up the security system in this place so good luck shutting that off.”</p><p>Finn nodded. Ben entered his mind.</p><p>“I hope Ben’s doing okay.” He added. Poe smiled slightly.</p><p>“He’ll be fine.”</p><p> </p><p>(♫ Chelsea Dagger – The Fratellis ♫)</p><p>Gun shots.</p><p>In a dank and dingy bar, a hail of shotgun bullets spray the optics behind the counter, liquid and glass exploding everywhere. Rey, donning black skinny jeans, a white tank top and plaid shirt combo and black boots with a very uninspired white apron around her hips, crouches behind said counter. She shields her face with her bare arm, small trickles of blood spattering up her tanned skin. She shoves non-prescription but very distinctive glasses up the bridge of her nose and pulls her handgun from her boot. Her face is absolutely furious when she turns to Poe who’s scrambled on the floor, his hair mussed and his white shirt misbuttoned.</p><p>“When I said find out more about the bar manager, I didn’t mean her vagina!” Rey snaps, another gunshot accentuates her point. Poe grins at her with a goofy and rather smug smile. “We’ve been here less than a day! How do you work that fast?”</p><p>“I can’t help that women adore me, Rey, it’s a curse.” He says simply with a slight shrug. Rey hears the sound of the gun being reloaded, she pops her head up slightly, checking if she’s got a shot but the bar owner knew better than to leave himself exposed.</p><p>“Shame her husband doesn’t share the same opinion of you,” Rey said snarkily. “I knew I should have interrogated her myself,” Rey mumbles under her breath.</p><p>“Now, that I would love to see,” Poe adds, his eyes filled with mischievous glee. Rey points her gun at his forehead.</p><p>“Don’t make me shoot you myself.” She warns and Poe puts a hand on his heart and drops his jaw in an over dramatic gasp. Noticing the quiet of the bar, Rey knots her eyebrows quizzically. Poe shares the same look and he gets up on his knees and pops his head above the bar top. At the sight of Poe’s messy black mop, the bar owner fires. Poe ducks quickly enough but the pint glasses left abandoned on the top were the next casualties.</p><p>“Any ideas?” Rey asks Poe.</p><p>“Uh, you’ve got the best idea in your hand,” Poe replies, nodding at her gun.</p><p>“I’m not going to shoot this guy because <em> you </em> slept with his wife.” Rey snaps.</p><p>“Ugh,” Poe huffs “Whose team are you on?”</p><p>“Definitely his!” Rey replied. Poe rolled his eyes and shook his head.</p><p>“Whatever. We just need to hang tight. Ben will already be knee-deep in a super smart, last-minute escape plan.” Poe said, clearly not bothered by their current predicament.</p><p>The front door to the bar crashes open and Rey and Poe jump up to give the sound their attention.</p><p>Hux’s figure stood in the light of the doorway, clad in Poe’s sunglasses and leather jacket, holding his gun up at the bar owner who was currently frozen in place.</p><p>“Police! Drop the weapon!” Hux yelled. The other man held his arms up, dropping the shotgun at his feet. Rey and Poe looked between themselves, welcome to the save but confused by the saviour.</p><p>Hux shot them a pleased smile.</p><p>In the now quiet of the bar, a rattling came from one of the bar’s high up and very mucky windows, a small black canister falling through it and rolling out into the middle of the floor. Everyone in the building looked at it quizzically for a moment, before the thing burst into a plume of thick, blinding smoke.</p><p>Poe cleared his throat expecting to have to cough his lungs clear but to his surprise, he was breathing fine.</p><p>Rey reached up and pressed the subtle button on the right leg of her new eyewear. The equipment burst into life, showing Rey the heated outlines of the three other people in the room. Who were now being joined by a fourth, coming out of the bar’s backroom.</p><p>“Hi, Ben,” Rey remarked, recognising his tall and substantial frame easily as he moved to stand next to Poe. She could see the cool outline of matching glasses on his face.</p><p>“Hey,” Ben replied, causing Poe to jump out of his skin.</p><p>“Son of a bitch!” He snapped as Ben’s sudden appearance at his shoulder. “Where the hell did you come from?”</p><p>“Back door.” He replied. Seeing the bar owner scramble around, blinded by the smoke, Rey made her way over to him.</p><p>“So much for having a plan, <em> Solo </em>.” Hux hissed.</p><p>“This was the plan, <em> Armitage </em>,” Ben replied, mirroring his tone. Hux didn’t say anything but Rey could almost feel the snarl on his face at the sound of his first name.</p><p>“Yeah, what <em> was </em> the end goal here?” Poe added.</p><p>Rey reached the bar owner who, in his scrambling, almost had his hands back on his shotgun. Rey kicked it away from him and hit him over the head with the butt of her gun. He made a loud ‘oof’ sound and thudded to the floor.</p><p>“That was,” Ben said finally.</p><p>“Infrared glasses,” Rey told them. “Ben gave me them.”</p><p>“‘Course he did!” Poe said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. He tried to make his way out from behind the bar and immediately bumped into it. Ben took his elbow and led him out.</p><p>“Let’s get out of here,” Rey said, making her way to the door, grabbing the sleeve of Hux’s arm on the way past.</p><p>Back out in the clear daylight, Rey took the glasses off her face, grinning at the sight of Ben with chunky black frames perched on his nose. He took his off too.</p><p>“You suited them,” Rey told him, his cheeks turning a pale pink. “Very Clark Kent.” Ben’s lips quirked upwards.</p><p>“Clark Kent was the dorky one right?” Hux quipped snarkily, overhearing Rey. Ben’s brightening expression quickly darkened.</p><p>“Nothing wrong with that,” Rey added, smiling at Ben again.</p><p>They piled back into their faux security van, Finn already in the driver’s seat. Ben sat at the terminal, exporting the audio files for documenting. Hux sat opposite Rey, he was trying to make eye contact with her but after their downrightdown right disastrous night last night, she was trying to avoid it at all costs. This sort of charming and alluring Hux was his outer shell, not necessarily fake but last night she definitely saw it crack a little. She spent all her time pretending to be someone else, she didn’t want to date someone like that too.</p><p>She wanted someone who was who he was, didn’t pretend to be anything but. Someone open and honest. Someone like-</p><p>Poe shifted annoyingly in his seat next to Rey. She turned to him annoyed.</p><p>“What is it now?” She snapped.</p><p>“Chafing.” He told her. “Left my underwear in the bar.” Rey scrunched her face up in disgust.</p><p>“Ugh, gross.”</p><p> </p><p>Getting changed by their lockers, Poe couldn’t help himself but ask about last night.</p><p>“So, Hux,” He started while buttoning up a clean shirt, keen to keep the gleeful look on his face hidden. “How was your date last night? Good, I take it?” He attempted to apply his usual brand of double entendre, his tone suggestive, his eyebrow quirked.</p><p>Hux slammed his locker shut. Poe smirked.</p><p>“Not exactly.”</p><p>“Oh?” Poe added. At his surprising inquisitiveness, Finn gives his friend a curious look. Poe smiles and winks.</p><p>“The restaurant cancelled my reservation without telling me, it was closed when we got there,” Hux said. Poe was still feigning ignorance.</p><p>“Oaft, that must have been embarrassing.”</p><p>“Marginally, yes.” Hux almost hissed, his air of civility was slipping again, just like Poe had seen last night. Under this smooth exterior, this guy has some real anger issues and Rey had seen it too. “Not only that, someone slashed my two left tyres.”</p><p>“What? Two? That’s a tow truck call right there.” Poe added, only Finn seeming to notice the mischievousness in his words. “Expensive to replace too.”</p><p>“I’ve got insurance,” Hux told him.</p><p>“Your premium next year is gonna be through the roof.” He added. “Take it you guys just went back to your place?”</p><p>“Yes, until the fire alarm went off and Rey had had enough.” Hux spat and stormed off, leaving Finn to watch Poe chuckle over his own handiwork.</p><p>“What did you do?” Finn asked him.</p><p>“Finn, I have absolutely zero interest in the romantic lives of my friends and colleagues that are apparently soul mates.” Poe sauntered off and Finn shook his head at his friend, also grinning.</p><p> </p><p>Padding down the hallway towards the locker rooms, Ben absentmindedly looks out for the guys. In truth, the image of Hux’s arm around Rey’s denim clad hips hadn’t left his brain. The only time he’d come close to forgetting was the way she looked at him when he gave her the infrared glasses this morning. It was the first time he’d looked at her properly since their moment in the wardrobe and somehow he had forgotten how soft her eyes were when she looked at him. He’d forgotten how it felt watching her wrap her arms around Hux as he kissed her.</p><p>He wondered if she looked at Hux that way.</p><p>As if he could hear thoughts of himself tumbling through Ben’s mind, Hux came out of the locker room and into the hall, stopping in his tracks upon seeing Ben. They stopped for a second, almost as if they were trying to decide what to say to each other, if anything.</p><p>Instead of words, Hux opted for a self-satisfied smirk, throwing it at Ben as he passed him and it cut worse than any words could have. Ben reserved himself, breathing deeply to calm the rising anger in him, his fists balled at his sides.</p><p>Poe and Finn emerged from the same door and watched Ben apprehensively as he swallowed his rage.</p><p>“He’s a real smug bastard,” Ben said finally.</p><p>“Yeah,” Poe said, only slightly sympathetically. “But ladies love it.”</p><p>“Just didn’t think Rey would be like that,” Ben admits.</p><p>“Ben, I think we know from experience that she isn’t,” Finn adds, thumbing towards Poe who shrugs.</p><p>“Anyway, Leia wants to see us in her office,” Ben says after a moment.</p><p>“Cool, we were heading there anyway,” Finn says. Poe nods and they walk past Ben who starts to continue walking the opposite way. “Aren’t you coming?” Finn adds.</p><p>“Yeah, I’ll meet you there. Just gonna drop these at my desk.” He pulls the black-rimmed glasses from his pocket to show them and keeps going.</p><p> </p><p>Outside of mission briefings and a few minor comments she managed to slip in, Rey knew Ben wasn’t speaking to her. What the specific reason was for it, she didn’t know but she was pretty certain it was to do with her date from hell. She didn’t want to convince herself that it was because he was into her but deep down she hoped it was. She just had to make it up to him now.</p><p>She perched on his desk, waiting with a very large cup of coffee - black, two sugars - for him to come back from meeting with Leia. She was still wearing the clunky, nerd glasses remembering his slight smirk when he put them on her this morning.</p><p>She recognised his heavy foot fall instantly and her stomach flipped - a common occurrence recently. She perked up and grinned at him but he stopped short when he saw her sitting there. His continuation to his desk now more unsure.</p><p>“Hi!” She said cheerfully, hoping to get the conversation off to an optimistic start.</p><p>“Hey.” He replied flatly. Damn. He opened his desk drawer and chucked the glasses in, Rey removed hers, admitting defeat and handed them to him. “Thanks.”</p><p>“It was a smart plan Ben, we make quite the team.” She beamed.</p><p>“Can’t beat Hero Hux though,” Ben added dryly, his sardonic tone hard to miss.</p><p>“Yeah, he certainly uses his initiative, doesn’t he?” Rey replied. Ben pursed his lips and breathed out his nose heavily. Rey worried that she might have given the wrong impression with that comment.</p><p>“I made you coffee.” She told him to change the subject, hoping if she continued in an upbeat fashion that it would rub off on him. “I made it how you like it.” She added, hoping that he’d notice her attention to detail.</p><p>“Thanks.” He replied without looking up at her. He moved his mug to a coaster beside his keyboard.</p><p>“You seem kind of tired today and I was worried about you.” She added.</p><p>“Yeah, I was … working on some stuff late last night.” Rey smiled slightly, glad that his reply was almost an entire sentence this time.</p><p>“Ah, okay,” she replied. “I had a rather early one last night. Actually I-”</p><p>“Leia’s wanting to see you by the way.” He interrupted flippantly.</p><p>“Oh. Okay.”</p><p>“I’ll see you up there.” He told her before swiping his key card to his lab and slipped through the door. With no other option than to leave, Rey jumped down from the desk and wandered to the General’s office half-heartedly.</p><p> </p><p>It was just Poe and Finn there when Rey showed up. The two of them were deep in conversation when she walked in and they immediately stopped at her arrival.</p><p>“Yeah, that wasn’t suspicious.” She remarked. The two of them exchanged a look, an oddly silent look considering Poe was involved.</p><p>“How was your romantique soirée?” Poe asked loudly.</p><p>Yep, that was more what she had come to expect of him.</p><p>“C'était de la merde.” She said, flopping down in an empty chair set out for her.</p><p>“What’d she say?” Poe murmured to Finn. Rey looked at him quizzically, he was the one who started speaking French, she just replied. “What? Romantique soirée is all I need to know,” and he winked. Rey scrunched her face up at him.</p><p>“She said it was crap,” Finn told him. “I’m sorry, Rey.”</p><p>“You know what, it’s actually really fine. The longer I was out, going from one disaster to the next, I realised I just wanted to be sat on a grungy lab couch playing video games.” She admitted.</p><p>“Why didn’t you?” Finn asked. Rey chuckled caustically.</p><p>“I did but he wasn’t here.”</p><p>“You did?” Poe asked, rather excitedly for him. “Does Ben know that?”</p><p>“No,” she started sadly. “I tried to tell him just now but he completely brushed me off.”</p><p>“I’m sure he’ll come around,” Finn replied, his voice slightly higher than usual. Clearly attempting Rey’s technique that she had tried with Ben. It didn’t work then and it wasn’t working now.</p><p>“I hope so. I don’t like that he’s mad at me.”</p><p>“Rey babe, I don’t think he could be mad at you if he tried,” Poe said. Ignoring his use of “babe”, Rey hoped he was right.</p><p> </p><p>The General and Hux came into the office, halting the trio’s conversation, followed shortly afterwards by Ben. Hux flanked Leia as she sat at her desk and took a position leaning against the wall behind Rey, Poe and Finn who sat opposite. Rey had to fight hard to stop herself from turning to look at him. Especially when she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her.</p><p>“What’s the word, hummingbird?” Poe quipped to Leia who responded with a rather disapproving glare. Rey suppressed a smile at Poe’s quickly fading grin. “Sorry.” He mumbled.</p><p>“Deep cover.” She stated loudly, dropping a heavy file on her desk with a slap.</p><p>“Yes!” Poe exclaimed, Finn gave him a small nudge and a wide-eyed stare. That was twice today Rey had seen them actually suspiciously. “I mean, uh, not for me thank you.” Everyone in the office stared at him. “I mean, uprooting your whole life, no contact for God knows how long and you need to learn a new signature? No thanks. Rey would be great for it though!”</p><p>“Oh, you made it sound so appealing Poe.” He grimaced slightly.</p><p>“I was thinking Finn actually Poe but I suppose Rey would work too, the alias we’ve set up is unisex anyway.”</p><p>“Uh, Rey would be great at it,” Finn added quickly. Rey’s eyes narrowed at the pair.</p><p>“You don’t even know what it is yet Finn,” She said.</p><p>“You’re great at everything though Rey,” Poe added even quicker.</p><p>“Snoke’s hiring,” Leia said, ignoring them. “He’s looking for a Lead Scientific Development Technician and we got <em> one of you </em> an interview.”  She eyed the three of them. “I had initially disregarded Rey considering her show stopping appearance at Phasma’s party.”</p><p>“Nah,” Rey started. “That was all the dress. Believe me, General, I bet you none of these guys could even tell you the colour of my eyes.”</p><p>“Blue!” Poe blurted out and Rey closed her eyes quickly. If they were going to guess, they certainly weren’t going to cheat.</p><p>“No, I’m certain they’re brown,” Finn added, shaking his head. Hux scoffed.</p><p>“No, no, no. Rey’s special, unique. They’re definitely grey.” He added.</p><p>“Hazel,” said a warm voice behind her. Her favourite voice. She didn’t turn around, she didn’t need to. She just smiled.</p><p>“My point being, no one was paying any attention to my face. In everyday workwear, no one will know me from the next girl.”</p><p>“Okay, there’s the file, one of you take it, study it well and get a good sleep, your interview is 9 am tomorrow. Now get out of my office.”</p><p>“It was a pleasure General,” Poe says, getting to his feet. Poe quietly took his leave as Leia glared at him for the second time that day. The rest of them filed out after him, Rey grabbing the file that they’d all conveniently left behind.</p><p>At Ben’s eager exit, Rey thought being away for a while might not be such a bad idea. Let him be annoyed with her, maybe even miss her eventually.</p><p>Out in the hall, Poe and Finn shuffle off quickly. How convenient.</p><p>“Uh, Rey.” Her heart dropped at his voice.</p><p>“Yeah, Ben?” She turned, pleasantly surprised at him initiating a conversation. He forced a small smile onto his face but it didn’t reach his eyes. Eyes that looked everywhere except at her.</p><p>“I was wondering if you’d be okay with me actually taking the deep cover mission? It is my area of expertise after all.”</p><p>There was a mocking snort.</p><p>“Very admirable Ben but you’re not an agent,” Hux said, draping an arm over Rey’s shoulders. Rey saw him ball his fists.</p><p>“Thank you for your snort of derision <em> Armitage </em> but I was actually speaking to Rey.” He bit back at him.</p><p>“You would be great for this but Hux is right. You’re not trained and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.” Rey told him, reaching her arm out to touch his arm. He finally looked at her, his eyes flaring with everything he was keeping bottled up. Anger, jealousy, embarrassment, hurt. “Plus, I’m gonna need your big brains to help me get through it.” She told him, smiling softly.</p><p>He nodded once curtly.</p><p>“‘Course.”</p><p>“Don’t worry Rey, I’ll get you through it no bother. I mean, I am the one who got myself hired for Phasma.” He gave Ben a stony look. “After all, Ben got hired by his own mother straight out of college, I doubt he’s even been to a job interview.” He added, chuckling slightly.</p><p>Ben pulled his arm from Rey’s touch and shoved past them and down the corridor. Rey shoved Hux’s arm off her and turned to face him.</p><p>“You better watch out Hux, your true colours are starting to show.” She hissed.</p><p>Rey thought about going after Ben but after his cold attitude towards her earlier, she was certain he didn’t want to speak to her now. Plus, the file in her arms was like a dead weight, getting heavier by the second. It was already after five and she had to get through the whole thing by the morning.</p><p> </p><p>When Ben got back to his desk, he gave it a swift, hard kick. While it released some of the fury he’d been building up since last night, it also spilt his warm cup of coffee on his keyboard.</p><p>“Damn it.” He hissed, proceeding to clean up the mess. He picked up the mug from its heated coaster to wipe the ceramic clean and he took a swig of it before placing it back down.</p><p>Black, two sugars - just how he liked it.</p><p>Guilt started to ebb at him for giving Rey the cold shoulder earlier. She knew how he liked his coffee and she went through the effort of making it for him. Because he looked tired and she was worried about him. She had extended an olive branch to him and he’d frickin’ set it on fire.</p><p><br/>
Maybe he could do something nice for her?</p><p>That <em> was </em> a pretty chunky file she had to study in one night and deep cover really wasn’t as great as Poe thought it was. It was curious, Poe usually jumped at the chance of deep cover,  why he down played it today, Ben had no idea. Surely, it would be much easier for someone who knew what they were doing in that field? It certainly would take a huge weight off her shoulders.</p><p>Ben mulled it over, unsure of himself.</p><p>What was it Poe had said? </p><p>
  <em> “He’s got confidence, that’s all. He knows what he wants and goes for it.” </em>
</p><p>He’s just got to be confident, use his initiative.</p><p>A quick google search gave him the number he needed easily. He punched it into his phone and waited for an answer.</p><p>An ever-so-slightly monotone woman answered.</p><p>“Snoke Industries, Lusica speaking, how can I help you today?”</p><p>“Hi, Lusica. I’m calling about your open position for a Lead Scientific Development Technician and I was hoping for an interview?”</p><p>“That interview is tomorrow morning.” She told him flatly. “Are you even qualified?”</p><p>“I know, yes. I graduated top of my class at M.I.T. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and I have excellent references.” Ben could almost hear her thinking through the phone.</p><p>“Top of your class?”</p><p>“That’s correct.” More thinking. “Come on Lusica, help me out here?” He added, trying his hand at a sultry convincing tone that Poe and Rey were well versed in.</p><p>“There’s been a last-minute cancellation so I can squeeze you in.” She tells him, her previous formal tone slipping a little. Ben wasn’t sure if it was his attempt at being somewhat sexy that convinced her but he highly doubted it. “I’ll also need to send you a mandatory questionnaire, make sure you actually know what you’re talking about. I’ll need an email address.”</p><p>“Of course,” Ben replies, quickly jumping online to register a new email address. “It’s uh, KR@starmail.org.” He reads out as he types it.</p><p>“I’ll get it sent in the next ten minutes, hope you can do it in one night. Don’t be late.” She tells him.</p><p>“Wouldn’t dream of it, Lusica. You’re an angel, thank you.” She chuckled.</p><p>“Don’t push it. Name?”</p><p>“Name? It’s uh- Kylo, Kylo Ren.” Ben said finally.</p><p>“I’ll see you at 9 am tomorrow Mr Ren. Have a good evening.”</p><p>“Good evening, Lusica.” He said before hanging up.</p><p>Ben sat for a moment, pleased with himself until he caught his reflection in his darkened monitor. Rey was right, he did look tired and a little shabby. That wouldn’t do. He got up from his desk and sprinted to the communications department, hoping she hadn’t left yet.</p><p>Her office light was still on, so he knocked, letting himself in.</p><p>Connix was throwing her bag over her shoulder when he walked in, surprised at his visit. Ben rarely ventured beyond his lab.</p><p>“Hey, Connix. I was wondering if I could ask you a favour?” Her eyes narrowed at his question.</p><p>“What kind of favour?”</p><p>“I have to go to a fancy interview tomorrow morning for a mission, I was wondering if you’d be able to meet me here at eight for a makeover of sorts?” He asked and Connix grinned.</p><p>“I thought you’d never ask.”</p><p> </p><p>Just before 9 am, Poe and Finn were waiting in the back of the security van across the street from the very foreboding Snoke Industries building. Rey was punctually sitting inside waiting for her interview. The boys could see the flashy interior of the building, sleek furniture everywhere, shiny floors and a multitude of odd, aesthetic pieces of art that were no doubt originals and very expensive. The whole place screamed exuberance.</p><p>Poe yawned.</p><p>“You okay?” Finn asked quietly. Rey couldn’t hear them unless they wanted her too but Finn still wasn’t fully comfortable with someone else knowing about his nighttime wanderings.</p><p>“Yeah, just tired,” Poe replied, rubbing his eyes.</p><p>“We can’t keep this up forever,” Finn told him. “You can’t stay up all night babysitting me for the rest of your life.”</p><p>“Sure I can,” Poe said nonchalantly. “I’ve lived with many sleepless nights.” He smirked. Finn tried not to smile.</p><p>“Poe.” He said seriously now.</p><p>“I know, I know. It’ll just be until I can get my security systems rerouted from Ben’s computer to my laptop.”</p><p>Before they could continue, the van door adjacent to the sidewalk slid open and Hux’s tall, lanky frame clambered in.</p><p>“And what time do you call this?” Poe asked him snarkily. Hux rolled his eyes.</p><p>“No Ben? How professional.” He snipped.</p><p>“Well, I thought you were supposed to be the big hero today, hot shot?” Poe replied, spurred on by Hux’s clear disdain for his best friend.</p><p>“Nothing new there then.”</p><p>From Rey’s lapel camera, they could see her fidgeting with her clothes. She wasn’t best pleased with her wardrobe choice today but she did look very professional in it.</p><p>“Rey, you look fine,” Finn told her. If nothing else, to get her to stop seeming so nervous.</p><p>“Stunning.” Hux purred through the microphone to her. Poe rolled his eyes for only Finn to see.</p><p>A loud rev of a car engine just outside the van’s rear doors attracted Poe’s attention. He’d know that slightly clunky but classic engine anywhere.</p><p> </p><p>(♫ Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf ♫)</p><p> </p><p>Poe flicked the camera view so that the rear of the van was visible on screen, a silver 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS had pulled up behind them and Poe knew exactly who was about to get out of it.</p><p>“Uh, Finn?” Poe attracted his partner’s attention and Finn’s eyes widened at the sight.</p><p>Dressed in a well-cut, navy suit, Ben climbed out of the vintage vehicle. He peeled his sunglasses off his face and chucked them back into the car, shooting a smug grin straight into the camera.</p><p>“What in the hell does he think he’s doing?!” Hux hissed. “He better not be going in there! Rey’s going to kill him!”</p><p>“Yeah, if she doesn’t jump his bones first,” Poe remarked, gaining an amused smile from Finn.</p><p>“Boy cleans up good,” Finn added.</p><p>“Breaking out the Chevy was a nice touch.” Poe continued, completely disregarding Hux’s concerns. Finn hummed and nodded in agreement.</p><p>Seeming to ooze tenacity, Ben ran a hand through his tidy locks, buttoned up the middle button on his suit jacket and gleefully strutted across the street towards the building’s lobby.</p><p>“I’m telling her!” Hux snapped.</p><p>“Alright, chill out Fredo.” Poe sighed.</p><p>“Fredo?” Finn asks.</p><p>“From The Godfather,” Poe confirms.</p><p>“I know what it’s from, just a bit extra is it not?” Finn chuckles.</p><p>“Nah, snitches get stitches,” Poe says, shrugging ever so matter of factly. Hux shoves between them, not at all interested in their banter to undoubtedly squawk nonsense through the comms to Rey. Finn put a hand on his shoulder and shoved him back lightly.</p><p>“Nuh uh, I’ll tell her,” Finn told him. He pressed the comms button. “Rey honey? You’re about to get a bit of a surprise, try not to go completely off your rocker.”</p><p>She didn’t reply but she tapped her earpiece twice to let them know that she’d heard them.</p><p>“Think that’ll cut it?” Finn asked hopefully.</p><p>“Not a chance.” Poe chuckled.</p><p>“I kind of want to see her face,” Finn admitted.</p><p>“So frickin’ bad!” Poe exclaimed.</p><p> </p><p>At eight this morning, Ben was certain this was an absolutely terrible idea. Worried that his moment of new found confidence had abandoned him.</p><p>Connix held up suit after suit against his lanky frame while he just stood there like a jumbo sized Ken doll. Too short, too blue, wrong tie, ugly cufflinks, shoes don’t fit. Ben seriously thought about calling it quits when she started to pull a brush through his tangled tresses.</p><p>But he had to admit, she did a good job.</p><p>He didn’t look like himself at all.</p><p> </p><p>Ben imagined that this was how Poe and Finn felt whenever they walked into a situation. Tall, confident, like they could do anything. He couldn’t help the smirk that settled into his face. Plus, it helped that every girl in the place had her eyes on him.</p><p>Including Rey, who was also slightly slack jawed.</p><p>Why was that so satisfying to him? He had told himself over and over that he was doing this for himself. To prove to everyone that he could. To prove to himself that he could. He was certainly smart enough, the rather extensive questionnaire he was sent last night took him by surprise. Purely because of the depth of the questions not because he couldn’t answer them, in fact, he found it all rather enjoyable.</p><p>He could do this easily.</p><p>Leaving Rey stunned and gawking at him wide-eyed was just a very pleasant bonus.</p><p> </p><p>He approached the front desk with conviction, plastering as charming a smile as he could muster.</p><p>“Kylo Ren, I have an interview this morning.”</p><p>The brunette behind the sleek deck grinned, her cheeks flushing pink.</p><p>“Mr Ren! Yes, we spoke on the phone last night.”</p><p>“Lusica, of course! Lovely to meet you in person.” He smiled and she returned it.</p><p>“Likewise. I, admittedly, put you first on the roster this morning for being such a late addition.” She told him.</p><p>“That’s fair.” He commented, smiling warmly.</p><p>“Yeah, now I’m really wishing I hadn’t.” She told him flirtatiously. He chuckled.</p><p>“Well, wish me luck I get the job then.” He gave her a quick wink and she giggled.</p><p>“Floor 8, in the meeting room.” He nodded and went to leave. “Mr Ren? Good luck.” And this time, she winked.</p><p> </p><p>Rey was fizzing.</p><p>She watched Ben stride into the elevator, the hissing breath leaving her nose in fury definitely blowing out the microphone pinned to her lapel.</p><p>Her thoughts tumbled through her brain faster than she could comprehend them.</p><p>What was he doing here? Did Leia send him? Why? What was he wearing? Why did she like it so much? What is that receptionist grinning at? Since when was he so god damn charming? Why won’t those girls stop chattering about him? What was she to do?</p><p>How was she going to do this without him?</p><p>“Rey, I know you’re mad but you gotta calm down.” Finn’s calming voice came through her earpiece. He could probably see the readout of her heart thudding against her ribs right now.</p><p>Her breathing picked up and she couldn’t stop her fists from balling, her knuckles pressed white under the skin.</p><p>Rey leaps out of the plush leather armchair she had settled in and stomps towards the bathroom sign posted by the reception desk. She nabs the disabled toilet and locks the door behind her before unleashing a full-powered right hook at the sleek, silver hand dryer leaving it with a rather deep but tiny fisted dent.</p><p>“Feel better now?” Poe asked.</p><p>“No, Poe. No, I don’t.” She hissed. “What am I supposed to do now?” Rey padded around the enclosed bathroom, wringing her hands.</p><p>“I don’t know why you’re worried Rey, you’ve got me to help you.” Hux said and Rey could almost hear him winking at her. She didn’t know exactly when his charm had worn off on her but she certainly wasn’t feeling it now.</p><p>“I don’t see how you being dumber than a box of rocks is going to help me here.” She snapped back at him. He didn’t reply and even if he did, Rey wouldn’t have heard him over Poe’s whooping laughter.</p><p> </p><p>Ben gave the glass door a courteous knock even though he could already see the dark-haired woman inside the meeting room was unoccupied. She waved him in and he pushed through the door, a smile plastered from ear to ear.</p><p>“Kylo Ren?” She asks, rising from her chair to greet him with an outstretched hand. Ben takes her hand and shakes it firmly.</p><p>“That’s me.”</p><p>“Excellent. I’m Joanna Krennic and I’ll be conducting the informal portion of your interview today.”</p><p>She motions for him to sit down opposite her and she starts to fiddle with a video camera that’s poised on a tripod on the desk.</p><p>“Krennic? As in Orson Krennic, Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the C.I.A. Krennic?” Joanna smiles a little behind the camera set up before composing herself.</p><p>“My grandfather.” She tells him. “I hope to follow in his footsteps eventually but right now, here I am playing second fiddle to Dr. Ackbar.”</p><p>Ben’s blood runs cold.</p><p>His inexperience was starting to show.</p><p>How could he not have thought to research his new employer?</p><p>“Dr Gial Ackbar?” Ben asked, a croaking frog caught in his throat.</p><p>“Let me guess, you know him too?” Joanna asks, amused.</p><p>“The world’s leading mind in high tech weapons design and security solutions and tenured professor at M.I.T., how could I not know him?” Ben’s stomach dropped further with every word. He eyes the video camera now being directed to point right at him.</p><p>This was a very terrible, truly horrible idea.</p><p>Joanna pressed record on the camera.</p><p>“Mr Ren, you’ve been invited for a quick informal chat today with me. It will be recorded for Dr. Ackbar to review later along with your previously submitted questionnaire. How about we start off with you giving me an introduction to yourself and we’ll go from there?”</p><p>Ben cleared his throat.</p><p>“Well, I graduated top of my class in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from M.I.T.”</p><p>“That explains how you know Dr Ackbar.” Joanna chuckles lightly.</p><p>Ben nods.</p><p>It was too late now, Ackbar was going to see him on camera, there was no use pretending otherwise. Besides, being his prize student might work in his favour.</p><p>“Taught me everything I know.”</p><p>“Where have you been working since college?”</p><p>“I’m afraid that’s classified,” Ben says truthfully. He reaches into his inside jacket pocket and grabs the plain looking business card he knew he’d need. He hands it to Joanna. “I can give you a great reference though.”</p><p>She takes the card and looks at the string of numbers printed on it.</p><p>“Let me guess, burner phone?” She asks and Ben shrugs sheepishly. She chuckles again. “Believe me, it’s oddly familiar.”</p><p> </p><p>They chat for a little while.</p><p>Ben tells her about how he restores old cars with his dad and Joanna tells him that she did the same with her grandfather. He tells her about his graduate project and how Ackbar constantly told him to rework it and rework it to the point where Ben wanted to maim the old man only for him to come out on top. They bonded in their mentor’s harsh but effective teaching techniques.</p><p>And when they parted ways, Ben almost felt bad that he was lying about his identity. He would have liked them to become friends.</p><p>Once the elevator doors slid closed and Ben was alone again, he scrambled for his phone and shot Rey a text.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Interview easy. Just a chat. Stick to your cover and you’ll do great.</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Kazuda Xiono?”</p><p>Rey’s head snapped up at the sound of her cover name being called.</p><p>She shoved her phone back into her bag after checking the text alert. She couldn’t reply. With how furious she still was, she’d probably put her thumbs through the screen.</p><p>She got up and headed up to the tart at reception.</p><p>“Floor 8, meeting roo-” the girl said. </p><p>Ben emerged from the elevator, stealing the girl’s attention. He shot the hapless girl a smile and Rey glared back at him. His eyes swept over her and when they connected with hers, her breath hitched.</p><p>A second more and he was gone.</p><p>“Oh my god, that guy was something else.” The girl sighed.</p><p>Rey felt the rage overcome her.</p><p>“His husband thinks so too.” She hissed, the girl’s face dropping disappointedly. Rey shrugs. “Better luck next time.” She tells the girl before taking her leave.</p><p>She can hear Poe chuckling in her ear as she steps into the elevator.</p><p>“Jealous Rey is so bitchy, I love it.”</p><p>Rey wants to correct him, she really does but even she has to admit that this amount of unprovoked rage wasn’t typical of her.</p><p>Maybe she was jealous.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe jealousy was a part of the anger Rey felt but by the time she came out of the informal sit down with Joanna Krennic, Rey was bubbling over after making a complete fool of herself.</p><p>She couldn’t keep a single sentence straight in her head and they came out of her mouth even more garbled. It didn’t help that she had three morons rambling in her ear.</p><p>She stormed through the lobby, not giving the receptionist a second glance and blasted out through the building’s glass doors. She ignored the gorgeous classic car parked by the van and found Ben casually chatting with the guys by the open door.</p><p>Ben turned to her and smiled as she approached but she let her rage fuel her and grabbed him by the lapels of his suit jacket and slammed him against the side of the van, rattling the men inside.</p><p>“Wow, cool it,” Poe exclaimed. Ben wasn’t hurt, just confused.</p><p>“What the hell are you playing at?!” She snapped at him. “You were supposed to be helping me!”</p><p>“I was being helpful.” Ben defended himself.</p><p>“Well, I blew it!” She let go of his jacket and he shook himself down, smoothing the new creases in the fabric.</p><p>“I’m sorry Rey, but come on. We both know I was the best choice for this one!” He replied, getting a little angry himself now. “You never even gave me the chance so I used my initiative! How is that any different from what you would do? What Hux would do?”</p><p>“You’re not Hux, Ben!” She raged. “You’re just the tech guy!”</p><p>There weren’t many regrets in Rey’s life. Sure, she regretted a one night stand here or there or turning down a few missions but nothing that she knew had directly impacted her life.</p><p>But this wasn’t one of those regrets.</p><p>As soon as she saw Ben’s face fall, she wanted to take the words back. Wanted them to disappear and for the ground to swallow her up. The look of stinging hurt in his eyes was enough to make Rey want to cry, or scream, or hug him. She did none of these things though.</p><p>“Ben, I-” She reached out to touch him but he flinched away from her as if her touch would burn him, causing him even more pain.</p><p>“No, it’s fine Rey. I think you’ve made your point.” He said, the words flat and broken. </p><p>He pushed past her, getting into his car and driving off without looking back.</p><p> </p><p>The agency was quiet after 6. Ben liked it the best this way. He often roamed the halls, staying there late into the night knowing that he was now at ease, he didn’t have to struggle with the day-to-day social complexities of the workplace.</p><p>His phone buzzed in his pocket and he absentmindedly answered it without even checking the caller I.D.</p><p>“Hello?” He answered, not even sure why he did.</p><p>“Hello? Mr Ren? It’s Joanna Krennic calling on behalf of Dr Ackbar from Snoke Industries.”</p><p>Oh. <em> Oh! </em></p><p>“Uh, yes. Hello, again Joanna.”</p><p>“Hi, I’m just calling to inform you that <em> unsurprisingly </em> Dr Ackbar would like to offer you the position with us.” She chuckles.</p><p>“Really?” Ben was genuinely surprised. He was sure that his old professor would have seen the tape and assumed he had fallen back into old habits. “That’s great!” Ben changed his tune.</p><p>“Congratulations! He would love for you to start as soon as possible.”</p><p>“I’ll see you first thing tomorrow morning, Joanna.” He replied with a slight smile.</p><p>“Looking forward to working with you.”</p><p>“Good night.”</p><p>“Good evening Kylo.” She hangs up.</p><p>Ben heads straight for the General’s office, never knowing his mother to leave the office before 7 pm. He doesn’t knock.</p><p>“I need the file for the deep cover mission at Snoke Industries.” He says. She looks up but her expression doesn’t change beyond mild interest.</p><p>“I thought you might.” She simply says and takes out a dossier and places it on her desk. Ben looks at her quizzically. “Poe called me this morning, told me what happened. I knew Dr Ackbar was running the ad and that as soon as he saw you, you’d have the job like that.” She clicks her fingers.</p><p>“You’re okay with this?” He asked her incredulously.</p><p>“Are you?” She retorted. “Ben, had I known you really wanted to do this, I would have asked you in a heartbeat.”</p><p>“I can do it this time.” He says, reaching for the dossier. She nods.</p><p>“New apartment, phone number, passport, driver’s license. All in there.” He nods his head in understanding. “If I see any evidence of you going down the same road as last time, I’m pulling you out immediately. No excuses, no second chances.”</p><p>“That’s fair.”</p><p>“I’ll send Poe his handler’s dossier in the morning.”</p><p>“No. I want you to do it.” He said quickly. He didn’t want their help. He wanted to do this one on his own. Show them that he was more than they thought he was. Leia regarded him for a moment but nodded.</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>They watched each other for a moment, unsure how to progress in this rather unique situation. The General sending off her agent to a mission but also a mother sending her son away, not knowing when she’ll be able to see him again. Ben turned to leave.</p><p>“Ben, I-” She started and Ben paused, turning back to her. “Good luck.” They both smile at one another. “And lock up your lab, I don’t want Poe getting his hands on your toys in there.”</p><p>Ben chuckled, nodded and left.</p><p> </p><p>(♫ Hero (Unplugged) – Christopher Wilde ♫)</p><p> </p><p>He dumped his keycard on his desk and looked around his lab, high-end equipment surrounded by movie posters and video game memorabilia. This was his domain. Everything about it from the disorganised books shelves crammed with graphic novels and miscellaneous CDs to the tatty couch and threadbare rug that he repurposed from his old dorm room to the barely decipherable code scrawled across the walls. It was all his.</p><p>The tech guy.</p><p><em> Just </em>the tech guy.</p><p>But not anymore.</p><p>He wiped his codes off his whiteboards. He covered the tatty couch in a tarp. He put away loose CDs. He covered all his equipment over with sheets and cases, covering up everything that made it his.</p><p>Covering up Ben Solo, just the tech guy.</p><p>He flipped off all the switches on the walls, powering everything down. Until he got to the TV and it’s accompanying games consoles. All of them riddled with high scores marked with three letters that Ben was sure were now scrawled across his heart.</p><p>Ben checked his phone again.</p><p>Her many unanswered calls and texts filled up his phone screen. She was sorry, <em> very </em> sorry going by her persistence. Ben believed her. Rey wasn’t a cruel person, she just fell under the same bracket as everyone else in his life.</p><p>He’d prove that he was more than he seemed.</p><p>He left the phone on his now empty desk just outside the lab and locked the door after himself. He took the bright orange desk hoodie off the back of his chair and draped it over his arm. </p><p>He slid his keycard into his pocket and left it all behind.</p><p> </p><p>Finn jumped awake at his phone ringing on the bed next to him.</p><p>He answered it quickly, trying not to wake up Poe who was situated in a chair next to him.</p><p>“Hello?”</p><p>“Good evening Finn. I hope Poe is in a deep enough sleep that the phone didn’t wake him.” Finn’s eyes widened.</p><p>“What? Who is this? How did you-”</p><p>“Check your texts.”</p><p>Finn took the phone away from his ear to look at his recent text chains, which were already open on the screen.</p><p>There was one outgoing text that Finn didn’t recall sending. It was also to the same number that was calling him now.</p><p>
  <b> <em>Poe’s asleep.</em> </b>
</p><p>Finn, now alarmed, cautiously put the phone back to his ear.</p><p>“I think it’s time we had a face-to-face chat. Come downstairs, I’m out front.”</p><p>The call ended.</p><p>Everything inside him was screaming to not go, that anything could happen to him.</p><p>But Finn could look after himself and so far this was the closest he’d been to finding out anything about what had been happening to him.</p><p>Finn looked at his sleeping friend, his stupid, caring, sleeping friend and slipped on his shoes and left the apartment without a word.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And Ben grows a little beardy face!</p><p>So, on spotify it says that hero is by christpoher wilde, its not. that the character from the movie, the singer's name is actually Drew Ryan Scott.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Episode 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rey and Ben finally see each other again and sparks start to fly as they admit their true feelings. Poe confronts Finn who disappeared from their lives the same night that Ben did. Poe and Rey lean on each other for support and Poe shares more about Ben with Rey.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey all!<br/>Okay I've updated the tags since the last chapter so please have a wee check and make sure everythings all good with you.<br/>This one took me a little longer to write because i contained the scene i've been thinking about since the get go and i wanted to get it right.<br/>Shout out to my wonderful beta @a_littlelessconversation for keeping me right as always! &lt;3<br/>come and say hi on twitter btw! i'm @someonesbh</p><p>and as usual here's the link to the updated playlist!<br/>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74CsZkeOOggFe7X2qktzgP?si=hCudgS5DTLuxQISwzXM-WQ</p><p>if you haven't listened to the playlist yet, please at least listen to the song playing at the party with Rey and Ben, it gives me all the feels &lt;3<br/>enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>3 Months Later</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The obnoxious sounding alarm clock blares in the eerie emptiness of the luxurious apartment. It resonates off the bare walls, echoing back from the marble floors. Ben reaches out and shuts it off. He doesn’t groan or grumble at the sound, he wasn’t asleep anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(</span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span> Gangster’s Paradise – Like A Storm </span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben throws the cover off and climbs out of bed having officially run out of time to even attempt to sleep. He pads into the bright white bathroom, rubbing his eyes at the difference in brightness and looks up to face the tired stranger in the mirror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben didn’t recognise himself anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His features, which had remained surprisingly youthful despite every year he aged, were now darkened. His jaw shaded with facial hair and his eyes shadowed with sleepless nights. He ran his hand through his slightly more kempt hair, following the movements of the man in the mirror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was him now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kylo Ren.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was Kylo Ren’s bathroom. Kylo Ren’s apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gone were the movie posters, the video games, the comic books. All those things belonged to a different man. Kylo Ren liked minimal decor. There was a houseplant by the door and an abstract painting hanging above the couch. Ben wasn’t fond of the painting but it was Kylo’s only one so he must find something appealing about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He perused Kylo’s wardrobe. No graphic tees to be found. Black shirts, black pants, black sweaters, black jackets. Not much diversity but he supposed it was easier that everything matched. Black sweater and pants it was. He combed his hair back from his face and shrugged on a black jacket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave the black clad stranger a weary glance in the entryway mirror before leaving, the town car would surely be waiting for him as it did day in day out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every day seemed the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kylo Ren would arrive at Snoke Industries. He would hustle through the lobby, ignoring the pretty receptionist whose glances had grown cold when Ben couldn’t find it in himself to keep up the charming charade any longer. He’d scan his ID card in the elevator which gave him access to the private sub-basement level. He’d settle next to his old Professor in their lab, work alongside him while their benefactors watched ominously overhead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All that was missing was the ball and chain clamped to his ankle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Ben got into the thick of the workload that Ackbar had created, he quickly got an answer to the question that The Resistance had been hunting down for months now. The crates never contained anything dangerous in themselves but in the hands of Ackbar and Ben, the cables and metals and power sources could be turned into the most wicked and dangerous weapons that the world had ever seen. One of a kind, high priced items. Suddenly, Ben was one of Snoke Industries’ most prized possessions. Snoke himself looked at him with dollar signs in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hate the way he looks at me,” Ben mumbles just loud enough for his mentor to hear. “It makes my skin crawl.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be thankful that he only looks at you, he’s a very unpleasant man,” Ackbar tells him in just as hushed tones. “Take it from me, stay on his good side.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben looked at the older man, his frail frame hiding the ferociously brilliant brain ticking away inside. This is the smartest man Ben knew, taught him everything he knows and did more for him than Ben could ever repay him for. Ben looked up to this man as an idol but when Ackbar referred to Snoke, his voice was laden with anger, despair and fear. Knowing Ackbar as he did, this was enough to make Ben fear him too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come now, help me set up the coilgun. Snoke needs to see it working before the party tonight.” Ackbar told him. Ben nodded and moved to follow the man, always keeping one eye on the overbearing CEO above them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben’s inexperience was starting to become more and more apparent. He had dove headfirst into this mission without really knowing how to handle it. He’d discovered the use of the crates so that was a win. He’d integrated himself into Snoke industries enough to discover their underlying business. All information he’d passed back to his mother but where the end of all this was, he had no idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was used to having an escape plan. Mainly because Poe and Finn never came up with one. He always had a way out planned, especially with Rey. She was smart, thought of these things and worked well with him. It was strange being so detached from her. Ben was so used to being in her ear, watching her heart beating with every movement. Everything between them was always so coordinated and synchronized, like they worked on the same wavelength, shared the same thoughts, one moving in time with the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced up. The old, slightly deformed CEO looked down at him from the gallery window, his sunken eyes bright with glee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now it was just Ben, he had to do this on his own. He had no clue how he was going to get himself out of this one</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No idea when he’d see Rey again. If he ever would.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ever since she was a kid, Rey found that her bouts of anger often were alleviated by violence. She managed to power through her fury that way and come out the other side feeling calmer. And also usually ended up spending the night in a cell because of it. Rey didn’t mind that so much, she was on a first-name basis with most of the police officers in town and they were kinder to her than her family were. Those nights away from them were some of the most peaceful of her life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was one of these nights that The Resistance had found her. Sprawled on the hard bench in her familiar cell, she jolted upright confused when the door swung open and an older man in modest clothing stood in the doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke Skywalker, he told her his name was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d never heard of him. Rey told him as much and he just chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the idea.” He’d said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave her an opportunity. To be free of a family that never loved her, to do something more, to be someone. He taught her everything she knew. He was committed to helping her and in turn she was devoted to him. For the first time in her life, Rey had someone she looked up to, someone to try for, someone who was proud of her. He even told her once that he’d love to introduce her to his nephew but nothing ever came of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He taught her to look after herself and taught her how to cope. He taught her how to power through her anger with training but this time, no matter how hard she punched, how high she kicked, how many punching bags she destroyed or how many sparring partners she sent to the infirmary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing was dulling the overwhelming, infuriating, heartbreaking, lonely emptiness she felt now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The anger she felt was with herself and as much as she had been trying to forget it, push it down and move on, she couldn’t fight it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe made jokes about it often and while Rey had never actually addressed it in the past, she couldn’t deny now that Ben definitely had a calming effect on her. Never before in her life had she met someone who with a touch, a soft look or a single word could quell the fury inside her. With him gone, she was spiralling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could feel him watching her cautiously again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop looking at me like that,” She snapped without looking back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what?” Poe asked defensively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I’m broken,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well …” Poe started but thought better of finishing his sentence when Rey turned around to shoot him a piercing glare, fury burning in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not broken, Poe!” She punctuated her point with a brutal punch to the gym apparatus beside her. “I’m just …” She dropped off, not even sure herself how to finish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lost?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until Poe said it, Rey hadn’t actually been able to figure out how she was feeling. The anger was obvious. As was her regret. She’d been stupid and reckless with her words and now Ben was putting himself in real danger to prove her wrong. To prove he was something special.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he never needed to in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She always knew he was special.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s my fault, Poe.” She admitted for the first time out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey, you couldn’t have known what he was going to do,” He told her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t have made him feel like he had to do anything in the first place.” Her voice was dripping with contempt for no one but herself. “If anything happens to him-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing will Rey. The General’s looking out for him. Have a little faith in the man, it’s not your responsibility to look after him.” He approached her and attempted to reassure her with a small pat on the arm but his bruised and bloody knuckles didn’t reassure her at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to break down the door with your bare hands before you take your own advice?” She asks him and both his large hand and reassuring smile drop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that’s what it takes,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe was coping with his anger in similar ways as Rey, although instead of taking it out on punching bags, it was Ben’s lab door that was feeling Poe’s wrath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The morning after Ben and Finn’s disappearance, Rey and Poe came into the office finding their world half empty. Poe immediately attempted to get into Ben’s lab with no luck. He’d scanned his keycard so many times that the thing damn near broke in half. He then moved onto brute force. Crowbars, blowtorches, sledgehammers, drills, anything he could get his hands on, all to no avail. Now it seemed that he would tear down the door with his bare hands to get in there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finn is not your responsibility either Poe,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was though, Rey. He was and I failed him.” He hissed. His eyes burned fiery for a minute, much like Rey’s had moments earlier and faded just as quickly. “I need to know what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll find out Poe, I promise.” Now it was Rey’s turn to place a reassuring hand on her new partner’s arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben and Finn’s absence in the last three months had left a hole. A gaping hole that left Rey and Poe roaming without another half and in turn found themselves to be more alike than they had realised. In that, they found comfort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe’s phone buzzed in his pocket and upon examining the caller I.D. he answered it immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“General?” Rey couldn’t hear Leia speaking on the other end but her blood ran cold watching Poe’s expression grow stern, his eyes darting over Rey’s anxiously. “Mhm, yes, of course.” And he hung up without another word. “General needs to see us. Now.” He told her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey nodded and followed him closely as they quickly marched to Leia's office.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t even knock when they got there. Poe’s abruptness was starting to scare Rey, she knew what wasn’t going to like what Leia was going to say. This was confirmed by the unmasked worry on Leia’s face. She motioned for them to take a seat and both Rey and Poe determined that their urgency surpassed their comfortability. When they didn’t sit down, Leia shook it off and continued, urgency taking over for her too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you may be aware, our deep-cover agent Ben Solo has been undercover at Snoke Industries for the last three months. He’s been feeding back valuable information and we’ve been tracking him closely with a device of his own design,” she explained. Rey and Poe knew all this already but neither of them dared stop her when the worrying topic at hand was most certainly Ben. “His tracker is authorised to go down for 10 seconds twice every day as he enters and exits the Snoke Industries building. Today at 12.08 pm, the tracking system went down and has been down since.” Leia says, the worry in her voice only slightly noticeable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Rey blurted out, alarm taking over her mouth before her brain could. Leia held a small hand up to calm her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, this isn’t an extreme cause for concern. It could simply be malfunctioning so we shouldn’t assume the worst but either way, the situation must be corrected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going there now,” Rey said determined, moving to leave the office as quickly as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will wait until you are given orders Johnson!” Leia snaps, her voice finally breaking, causing Rey to halt in her tracks. “Ben is an extremely valuable asset to The Resistance and both myself and Ben will not be pleased if you blow his cover.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want us to do General?” Poe asks calmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From looking at Kylo Ren’s diary, he’s supposed to attend some sort of gala at the Plaza this evening, charming investors.” Leia sighs.“You two are the best I have and at this point, I don’t care how you do it, just get a tracker on my boy and keep him safe,” she tells them. Poe looks to Rey, who looks ready to bolt out the door as soon as she is dismissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course General,” Poe confirms to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Now go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Poe could even turn back to Rey, she had already disappeared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their inevitable argument ensued in the Wardrobe when Poe finally caught up to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what the hell do you think you’re doing?” He demanded of her, finding her pulling out pretty dresses and kicking around shoes that littered the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to that damn party,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, no you’re not,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Try and stop me, Poe. I dare you,” She hissed, barely looking away from the task at hand. Poe had to physically pry the clothes from her fingers to get her to look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not this stupid Rey,” He shot back. “You’ve been in there already, they’ll recognise you.” Rey opens her mouth to protest but Poe shuts her down. “Don’t start with the whole guess my eye colour crap again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m not stupid Poe. I’m desperate!” She snaps back. “I need this, I need to see him, talk to him,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe looks at her, her anxiety making her jittery and her eyes wild. Poe had felt so useless recently that he thought if he could help Rey and Ben, maybe he could feel something other than guilt for the first time in months.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay but we’re doing this properly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben really, really didn’t want to be here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d made excuse after excuse but Ackbar wasn’t having it. If he had to go, he was making sure that Ben went too. He had thought about just ditching it but there was something about the way that Snoke enquired after him that afternoon that made him think that his attendance wasn’t optional.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So here he was, in one of Kylo Ren’s sleek, black suits, schmoozing rich old guys into giving them more money to continue building them weapons of warfare. Usually, Ben would love talking about what he did. Stranger or friend, it didn’t matter, once he got right down into the technical explanation of things, there was no stopping him. But this wasn’t like that. There was something sordid and twisted about the way these men would light up, their wrinkled faces brimming with glee at the thought of all the ways they could wage war on poor, unsuspecting citizens. This was never what he wanted to do. He always wanted to use his skills to help people, not plot their demise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was getting harder and harder to keep up his charade when everyone around him was so clear about their dark intentions. If he wanted to get through the night, he was going to need a stiffer drink than the slightly flat, albeit free, beer he’d been nursing most of the evening. He'd rather dip into Kylo's deep pockets to buy an overpriced whiskey, than suffer through any more of this. He weaved his way through the moving couples dancing on the dancefloor to an upbeat pop song that Ben had never heard before and approached the empty bar, people preferring to indulge in the free swill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whiskey,” he told the waiting bartender. “I don’t care what brand.” He knew that they’d probably give him their most expensive one but in theory that meant a better drink so he didn't care. When the bartender placed his drink on the counter, Ben handed him a random banknote and dismissed him. Going by the wide-eyed look on the bartender’s face, it must have been a big tip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben sipped his drink, drawing slight comfort from the warm sensation making its way down his chest. The music died down and the raised hum of murmuring voices around him drew Ben’s attention. He looked to the faces of his whispering colleagues and all of them seemed to be looking at the same thing so he turned his attention in the same direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart stopped. It leapt into his throat and for a moment he forgot to breathe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had forgotten the effect she had on him. How could he have forgotten?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Standing there, in a pink dress, curled hair resting atop her shoulders was the girl that occupied his mind every day and when she smiled, sweetly and softly,  the tightening in his chest let him know that his heart was no longer in there. It was in her tiny hands, to do with as she pleased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She moved towards him, the crowd parting for her, this beautiful stranger who needed no introduction. So enraptured by her beauty, Ben had completely forgotten himself, who he was supposed to be now, where he was and who surrounded him. The sudden realization snapped him out of his daze and hastily he closed the gap between them. He wanted to scold her, snap at her, drag her outside and hand her off to Poe or Finn or hell, even Hux if he had to. Just get her out of this place. But when she was close to him, hazel eyes blinking up at him, her expression something that someone could easily mistake for yearning, Ben found that he didn’t want her to go just yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here?” He asked quietly, eager not to draw any more attention to them. She smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I came to give my husband his wedding ring. You left it at home.” She held her small hand out, a familiar silver band laying in her palm. His tracking rings. He stared at the thing in confusion before remembering powering up the coilgun this afternoon, the magnets must have trashed the GPS in his watch. Without saying anything he held out his left hand to her and she slid the ring onto the appropriate finger, adjusting it to fit. Her hand lingered in his, both their eyes trained on their intertwined fingers. “Seeing as I came all the way here, surely I’m entitled to one dance?” She asked, an eyebrow quirked, the corner of her lips curling upwards. Ben couldn’t refuse this woman anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(</span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span> Nothing Really Matters – Mr. Probz </span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He closed his hand around the dainty fingers and pulled her closer to him, his other hand splayed across her lower back and her arm wrapped around him. Slowly, they swayed and everything else fell away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” she asked quietly after a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As good as can be expected.” He tells her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, I’ve been worried about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I may be just the tech guy but I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> look after myself.” He said defensively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean it like that,” she replied sadly. “I just meant that … if anything were to happen to you I don’t know what I’d do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben couldn’t help but be enveloped in the warmth of her words. Her admission was genuine and affectionate and Ben found himself squeezing her hand a little tighter, pulling her a little closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Having her in his arms was overwhelming and he was feeling that indescribable pull to her again, the same way he’d felt in the Wardrobe that day when he’d almost kissed her. He wanted to kiss her now, more than anything but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He had wanted her for so long, he wasn’t going to let Kylo Ren kiss her first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besides, he wasn’t sure she was really his to kiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She may be dressed like Rey and smile like Rey but tonight, she was still just playing a part. Just another character that was Kylo’s for tonight only.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t be worried about Hux barging in here and knocking me out cold, should I?” He asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why? Did you call him Armitage again?” She joked, her cheeky smile threatening to become infectious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just assumed that after your date he’d be more protective of you.” He replied, Rey smirked slightly but nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yes, you never did ask how it went.” She remarked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I didn’t want to know,” Ben told her bluntly. He didn’t know if it was the pricey whiskey or the fact that he’d spent every day they’d been apart regretting everything he never said to her but tonight he was feeling bold. And technically, he wasn’t Ben tonight, he was Kylo Ren. Tonight, he could tell the truth and Ben could deal with it when all this was over, whenever that would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I got that.” She chuckled. “If you’d asked me, I could have told you that it never actually happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Despite the fact that Ben hadn’t really changed much about himself to become Kylo other than sporting a goatee and black ensembles, when he squawked his surprise, it was very typically Ben. Rey had noticed it too and it made her smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It never happened. I came back to the lab instead but you weren’t there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben thought back, remembering spending his evening wandering the streets before dragging himself back to his apartment to wallow. If only he’d gone back to the lab instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you go back to the lab?” He asked quietly, desperately needing an answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Rey looked up at him confused. He pulled away from her to twirl her under his arm and then pulled her back to him, his arm wrapping around her tiny waist, bringing her in closer than before. Now he could hear her breathing as fast as his heart was beating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you go back to the lab?” He murmured into her ear that was so close to his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey pulled back to look up at him, despite her ragged breathing, she had never seemed more sure of herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you almost kissed me that day.” She told him. It seems he wasn't the only one being bold tonight. The time apart seemed to have shaken the idleness right out of both of them. Ben didn’t say anything though, he just pressed his lips into a thin line. “You were going to kiss me, weren’t you?” Rey asked, clearly not satisfied with his silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was scared,” He admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I didn’t feel the same thing you felt?” She asked and he didn’t reply. His silence was answer enough though. “For such an intelligent guy, you can be so dumb.” She said, chuckling lightly. “Are you scared now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the last few months, I’ve found that there are worse things to fear than kissing the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey pressed her body to him, her hands snaking up over his shoulder to wrap around his neck. Ben could feel her tiny fingers weaving in his hair at the nape of his neck. He held her close, sinking into the soft, inviting feeling of Rey, beautiful Rey with sparkling eyes looking up at him as if he were the only person in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes fluttered shut as she reached up on her toes and pulled Ben down to her, a ghost of a kiss dancing on her lips, begging him to take it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben,” She breathed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben realised a long while ago that this woman could easily take whatever she wanted from him and he would give it to her willingly but Kylo had already taken too much of his life, he wouldn’t give him Rey too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed with a heavy heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t. Not like this.” He told her, pressing his forehead against hers. She looked up to him defeated but accepted it anyway with a small smile and a nod. Her fingers unravelled from his hair and she brushed her fingertips over his slightly sunken cheekbones and his bearded jaw, her eyes roaming over his features.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look tired by the way.” she critiqued, a slight smirk playing on her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well,” Ben started, his eyebrows furrowed, determined to find some way to tease her back. “You look … beautiful. As always.” He failed but he didn’t mind. She smiled up at him and groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re making it really difficult not to steal that kiss from you right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the first time in a long time, Ben smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Poe wasn’t a very mushy person. He disliked rom-coms immensely, cute puppies in teacups brought him no joy and any declarations of warm and fuzzy feelings quickly had him reaching for a trash can to empty his stomach into. But he listened in on Rey and Ben with a fond interest. He gave them schtick a lot but it was plain for him and anyone else to see that they were made for each other. As sickeningly sweet as it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flicked between watching the pair on the tapped CCTV feed and scanning the crowd and the building. He was flicking between the inner and outer cameras when a familiar sight caught his eye. A bulky figure slipping out the building’s side door into the darkness of the side alley. He’d recognize that faded, brown leather jacket anywhere. After all, Poe was the one that gave him it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Son of a bitch.” He hissed. Rey seemed to have things under control so Poe slipped the headset off and jumped out the back of the van, high tailing it across the busy street.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was still there when Poe reached the mouth of the alley. His back was turned but Poe knew it was him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y’know, of all the people who have snuck out my bed in the dead of night, this one really stings,” Poe shouts at him causing him to freeze in place. Poe moves towards him cautiously. “No text, no call. I thought we had something special too.” He hissed facetiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get out of here Poe,” Finn finally replies, still not turning to face him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a chance asshole.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave. Now.” Finn hisses at him, finally turning around. Poe looked over his features, sallow and darkened. Weary. He looked awful. Wherever he’d been, whatever he’d been up clearly hadn’t been kind to him. “Or I’ll have no choice but to make you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you better damn well come here and do it then because I ain’t leaving until I get an explanation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn pressed a hand to his ear, his expression intense, listening. Someone was in his ear. Finn’s eyes looked at Poe, they seemed pained and while Poe waited for his friend to finally do something about the situation, he surprised him by turning around and walking away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Poe called after him. “We ain’t done yet!” Poe marched after him in long strides.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we are,” Finn replied flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we’re not.” Poe snapped, grabbing his friend by a fistful of his leather jacket and dragging him backwards. Finn snapped around and gave him a hard shove, sending Poe toppling backwards over his own feet. Poe scrambled on the ground and attempted to get back to his feet but he was met with a chunky boot against his chest shoving him back to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you have any sense of self-preservation, you’ll stay there.” Finn murmured, removing his shoe and trying again to leave his ex-partner behind in the alleyway. Poe chuckled darkly, getting to his feet. Finn turned and watched him with sadness and anger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Self-preservation isn’t even in my vocabulary.” He told him and swung his fist, landing it square on Finn’s jaw. Poe had never properly punched him before, so while Finn seemed relatively unfazed, Poe’s knuckles throbbed from the strength of the other man’s face. Distracted by the pain, Finn’s retaliation caught Poe off guard and he managed to get two punches in before Poe was coherent enough to swipe back at him. He lunged another fist at Finn and Finn caught his hand in the air in front of his face. He twisted the other man’s arm around behind his back, shoving him back down to the ground. The stinging pain in Poe’s captured hand had him hissing through his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Finn begged into his ear. The begging in his voice was unrecognisable to Poe but it was soft. Finn really needed this from his friend and he was having to beg him for it. Poe knew Finn was quite capable of looking after himself, so he had to trust him now. Poe nodded and was released from the vice-like grip and he fell into a pile of limbs on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he looked up, Finn was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey hadn’t heard Poe in a while, probably a good thing she thought, she didn’t want anything spoiling this moment. She clung to Ben for as long as she could, her slender arms draped over his broad, suited shoulders. He may dress smarter now and look a little older with his new facial hair but it was the softness in his eyes that gave him away. That let her know he was still Ben.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her Ben.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Holding her in his arms, swaying to a song she could no longer hear over the sound of her heart thudding in her chest, Rey wanted to stay that way forever. But she couldn’t, they both knew that but neither one of them questioned it yet for fear of losing it. Her head rested against his scruffy jaw and she listened to him softly breathe around her and she could help but feel so foolish for not being more honest from the start. He sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve missed you,” he tells her quietly. She smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve missed you too,” she says. “Missed beating you at every game on the planet.” She adds mischievously. She pulls back to see his reaction, happy to see him chuckling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no practising while I’m gone,” He warned her, he attempted to sound stern but he didn’t quite manage it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s difficult to do when no one can get into your lab.” Rey snips and Ben’s lips quirked as if he was mulling the statement over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one, huh?” He muses. Rey narrows her eyes at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing. I just didn’t think you were the type of girl to let other people open doors for you.” He says, suppressing a cheeky smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. While Ben hid his smile, Rey did not. She hadn’t been so egotistical to think that after all else failed, the only thing that could open the lab door would be her. But that was exactly what Ben was telling her. Somehow he always managed to make her feel like she was more than she was. Feel more than she’d ever felt in her life. She’d gone through her life so detached from everyone that her attachment to Ben scared her a little, even beyond the dreadful thought of having to eventually leave him tonight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Across the room, Joanna Krennic hovers awkwardly at the bar, swirling a tan whiskey in a glass while she gulps down her own drink. She had, foolishly, thought that she would finally be able to socialize with Kylo outside of the lab. It had been in the last two months that she had finally been able to admit to herself her fondness for the reserved man. He was clearly smart as a whip, handsome as hell for sure and considering the amount of talking and smiles flying back and forth between him and the girl in the pink dress, Joanna was sure that he was a far more relaxed person than he’d made out. It must be the company.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joanna watched them, sneaking sidelong glances when she could. He must know the girl, he didn’t seem the type to immediately bond with a random stranger. It was when the pair turned around on the dancefloor, that Joanna’s theory was confirmed. Once she’d seen the look in Kylo’s eyes, she knew. He was certainly in love with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It stung a little, sure, but the strangest thing was that Joanna was sure she’d seen the girl somewhere before. A friendly hand on her back snapped her out of her reverie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Having a nice evening, Joanna?” Ackbar enquired, taking up residence in the empty space at the bar beside her. She nodded slightly, not entirely convincing. “I didn’t know you drank whiskey.” He remarked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I don't. It was for someone else.” She told him flatly. He took a look over his shoulder at the good looking couple holding each other on the dancefloor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I take it that someone is otherwise engaged at the moment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would seem so.” She sighed. “Strange though,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is?” Ackbar asked, his greying brow furrowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that girl before.” She mused, looking over the girl’s features again. She smiled wide and Joanna remembered. “I think she came in to interview for you, didn’t she?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ackbar’s eyes widened and he took a cursory look at the girl before shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no. I don’t think so. I would have remembered.” Joanna scoffs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No you wouldn’t, you pay me to remember things for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re mistaken Joanna,” Ackbar tells her bluntly. He’d never shut her down like that before and usually, he took her word as gospel. So she didn’t press the issue any further. Ackbar clears his throat and straightens his suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’ll go and introduce myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ackbar wasn’t sure he’d handled the moment well. He had snapped at Joanna and he never snapped. He was just lost for words. It was indeed the girl from the interviews, there was no doubt of that but what she was doing here, looking up at young Ben Solo so lovingly, he had no idea. However, if one person recognised her, more could and that could put Ben’s entire operation in jeopardy, not to mention the girl’s life. He ought to usher her out now before things could get out of hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The hand on his back startled Ben a little. He had been so wrapped up in Rey that he’d forgotten himself. A very dangerous oversight. Ackbar cleared his throat and smiled warmly at Rey, who returned it with a beautiful, enticing smile of her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, Ren, when were you going to introduce us to this enchanting lady of yours?” He said. Despite his advancing age, Ackbar was deceptively charming. It was most likely why Snoke insisted that he attend events like these.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey dropped her arms from around Ben’s neck but Ben couldn’t let go of her yet. He kept one arm wrapped around her waist as she turned to Ackbar, pulling her close to his body, curled up under his arm. He smiled a little when he felt her arm slip around his waist too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, of course. Dr Gial Ackbar, this is … uh …” he stammered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kira,” Rey finished for him, holding out a dainty hand for his Professor to shake. The older man took it gladly. “I’m Kylo’s wife. He’s told me a lot about you Doctor,” she responds, radiating even more charm than Ackbar was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a pleasure Kira,” Ackbar tells her. “I wish I could say the same but Kylo seems to have neglected to mention his wife. All I get from him is engineering jargon that I taught him!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a strange interaction to watch, knowing full well that Ackbar knew he wasn’t Kylo Ren. He knew Rey wasn’t his wife. He knew that everything they were saying was a lie, a hoax or in Ben’s case, a fantasy. In another life though, this could have been real. If he hadn’t strayed so far in college, maybe he could have trained with Luke properly. Met Rey sooner. Partners at work and in life, perhaps they would have already been married by now. He’d introduce her properly to the college professor who saved his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kira Ren was all warmth and charm, the doting wife of Kylo. Coming all the way to his work event, looking beautiful as to not show him up. Bringing him his wedding ring, letting everyone know he was hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben wondered how much of it was Rey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, he tends to forget all about me when he’s talking about his passions,” Rey tells him so casually.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, he certainly should be talking about you then,” Ackbar remarks. Ben could feel his cheeks heating up but Rey paid him no mind, she just chuckled lightly. “How could someone forget about you? It’s funny, my assistant was just remarking how familiar you look. You look just like a girl who interviewed for Kylo’s job.” He says flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben’s stomach dropped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shot a glance over his shoulder to Joanna, who hovered by the bar, her eyes fixed on the three of them. At Ben’s somewhat accusatory glare, she turned away, embarrassment colouring her cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Rey said, stiffening under his arm, realising she’d been made. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rest assured, my dear, you haven’t. Not yet anyway but I think it’s better to quit while you’re ahead.” Rey nodded in agreement. Subconsciously and a little defensively, Ben held her tighter. He’d just gotten her back and now he was about to lose her again. That didn’t stop Rey from pulling away from him though, the arm that wrapped around his hips fell away and her hand slipped into his large one. She squeezed his hand comfortingly and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you when you come home,” she leaned in, up on her toes to place a light kiss on his cheek. “Ben,” she whispered by his ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest and he was sure his expression portrayed exactly how he felt because when Rey pulled back, she gave him her most reassuring smile and held his hand a little tighter. He didn’t dare speak, worried his wavering voice would give him away. Eventually, he nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And just like that, beautiful Rey in the pink dress was gone just as quickly as she arrived and Ben missed her already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A strong grip wrapped around his arm and he turned to the Doctor, who leaned closer with a stern expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you mad, boy? Bringing her here?” He hissed quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Ben sputtered, trying to release the vice-like grip that squeezed his arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take a look around you. Do you see any other spouses here?” Ackbar snapped at him. Ben looked around. He hadn’t actually noticed it before but the older man was right. There were no significant others here. There were no other couples swaying in time with him and Rey. There were no other friendly introductions between colleagues and strangers. They’d all stared at Rey with abundant fascination when she arrived, the only unfamiliar face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Ben asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s dangerous,” Ackbar told him. “Do you think we all want to be here? Working for this monster? We do it because we have to, for the sake of our loved ones,” he finished solemnly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s just another agent, it’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben,” Ackbar said quietly and deadly seriously. “The entire hall could see the way you looked at that girl. She isn’t “just” anything. You care deeply for her and you better hope Snoke hasn’t seen it too or God help you both.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ackbar drops Ben’s arm and turns to leave him and for a second Ben wonders if he should really ask the question on the tip of his tongue but he has to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ackbar!” He calls after him and the Doctor turns around. “How’s your wife?” Ackbar looks at him, his expression blank and sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I ever see her again, I’ll let you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Rey climbs back in the van, she’s confused by the silence that awaits her. She was sure Poe would have something to say about what just went down but there was nothing. Not even Poe. The van was empty. There didn’t look like any signs of a struggle and when Rey looked up at the CCTV images on the screens, she could see a very familiar looking heap of a man lying crumpled in a dirty alley.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poe!” She tore back out into the street, her dainty heels not the best for running in. At the corner of the building, Rey stopped, seeing her new partner face down on the cobbles. She hobbles along them with haste, the clicking of her shoes echoing back to her. “Poe!” She drops to her knees when she reaches him, immediately putting two fingers to his pulse point on his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not dead.” He groans and Rey breathes a very loud sigh of relief, giving him a small shove.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re not dead, answer me,” she snaps at him and he slowly moves to push himself up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not my real mom,” he whines sarcastically. Placing his hands to the ground, he hissed. Rey looked down at him, his right hand stained in still wet blood. It pooled more as Poe tried to push himself up on the apparent injury. He sat himself back down and examined his bloody appendage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jesus Poe, you’re bleeding. A lot,” she told him, ripping the hem of her dress, creating a soft pink bandage. She wrapped it around his hand, ignoring his wince as she pulled the fabric tight. Immediately the blood soaked the silk through. “It’ll do until we get back to the office,” Rey tells him. “What the hell happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finn happened,” he told her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You saw Finn?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, saw him beat the crap out of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finn did this?” Rey asked, holding Poe’s bleeding paw in her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. He begged me to let him leave,” he admitted sadly. “I think it’s bad Rey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After Dr Ackbar’s thinly veiled warning, Rey didn’t doubt him in the slightest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey sat quietly alongside her partner while he debriefed the General. She had nothing to contribute other than confirming that Ben had successfully received his new tracking device, it was indeed online and despite his more prominent cheekbones, he was doing okay. Poe was more eager to discuss Finn, who hadn’t been seen since the night that Ben had left. So Rey let him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t however mentioned the fact that she had been recognised. The Doctor’s pointed remarks made it obvious that he was well aware of Ben’s situation and that he’d keep quiet about it. Hopefully, the same could be said for Krennic who looked over at her with jealous contempt the entire time. It was petty but it made Rey a little happy to see it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were dismissed without Rey hearing another word of the debriefing and she’d already started towards Ben’s lab when Poe caught up with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, kid, what you up to tonight?” he asked her casually, falling into step beside her. She shot a glance into the direction of the lab.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, nothing, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fancy dinner?” Rey’s expression must have painted a funny picture because Poe chuckled. “It’s not a date or anything, Leia’s invited us. Want to go with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She thought about just saying no. They’d had a rather rocky friendship so far, surely he wouldn’t be surprised if she declined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might cheer you up?” Poe added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need cheering up,” she told him but even her defence felt lacklustre.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t completely A.W.O.L. tonight, I heard you and Ben talking,” he says. Rey looks to the floor. She didn’t know if his expression was pitying or mocking but either way she didn’t want to see it. “Think we’ve both had a rough night,” he says finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey looks up, his eyes express how she feels. Lonely. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, they only had each other. They needed each other now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me go get changed first,” she says finally, gesturing to her torn pink skirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe nodded and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, I’ll meet you at the car.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why Rey assumed the Organa-Solo residence would be anything short of magnificent, she had no idea. She knew the family was well off, Leia’s parents for one were very wealthy senators once upon a time and Leia inherited their legacy, including this picturesque, rustic lakeside mansion remotely hidden in the trees. It was decadent but not extravagant and Rey loved it. Rey didn’t actually know what Ben’s father did for a living and Leia was never one to share that information, maybe she’d find out tonight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice, huh?” Poe says, opening the passenger’s door of his car for Rey to jump out. She must have been staring at the house longer than she’d thought. She climbed out and brushed down her slightly crumpled dress. Paired with a pair of ankle boots, she felt a little underdressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s gorgeous, are you sure I’m dressed okay?” She asked a little unsure. Poe chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey, much like myself, you’re gifted with everlasting beauty,” he said grinning. Rey rolled her eyes but the smile that came with it was uncontrollable. “You look great,” he assures her seriously. She allowed him to usher her up the long driveway towards the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The inside of the house is just as beautiful. Sleek walls and floors decorated with cosy home furnishings. Photographs lined the walls. Leia at various ages accepting awards and medals, proud parents grinning beside her. Other photos had her pictured beside a taller man. His face was shaped the same as Ben’s but where Ben’s dark eyes were deep and thoughtful, his were lighter and mischievous. The photos of him and Leia with a tall, black haired child made Rey smile. He was always tall then. His expression was a little sullen in some photos and his ears poked out from under his hair in most. Through them, she saw Ben age, grow taller, fill out his shoulders and grow his hair out. The awkward boy into the intelligent man, a young face under a graduation cap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A stranger on the edge of a family photo caught her attention. Lingering mysteriously in the background, Rey recognised the sparkling blue eyes set in the bearded face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke?” She mused out loud, louder than she’d meant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Luke?” A gravelly voice asks her. She turns to the voice, coming from the handsome man from the photographs. “Dameron, where have you been hiding this gorgeous thing?” He adds, grinning at Rey. He holds out his hand for Rey to shake it and she does.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey’s not going to be interested in an old man with grey hair, Han,” Leia chimes in from down the hall behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I think you mean “Silver Fox” my beloved wife,” he replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, foxy or not Han, it’s the younger Solo she’s after,” Poe quips which earns him a swift but forceful elbow to the ribs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poe!” Rey hisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? It’s the truth!” He exclaims. Han chuckles and claps Poe on the shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fine too, think about the gorgeous grandkids!” Han chortles happily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” Rey groans. Leia huffs at the two men and shoves past them to Rey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For goodness sake Han, is there ever a time you’re not running your mouth!” she scolds him, wrapping an arm around Rey and ushering her down the hall towards the kitchen. “Come, Rey, we’ll get away from these clowns. I’m glad you came, are you hungry?” Now that Rey could smell dinner cooking, her stomach growled in protest. Rey shot Poe one last punishing glare over her shoulder before abandoning him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so embarrassed Leia, I’m so sorry,” Rey starts but Leia waves her off, taking two wine glasses from the cupboard and filling them high for the two of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be silly Rey, those two are downright intolerable when they are together,” Leia says, pushing a glass towards Rey and she drinks from it eagerly, desperate to drown her embarrassment in Merlot. “Unfortunately, Poe turned out more like Han than I’d have liked. Luckily, Ben grew up to be wiser than us all,” she added with a proud smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poe turned out like Han?” Rey repeated, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poe’s parents were good friends of ours, sadly he lost them when he was very young. He’s been our pest since,” Leia told her with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Rey started, a little lost for words. “I didn’t know, he didn’t tell me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was only little when they died, he barely knew them,” Leia said. “Didn’t stop him from wanting to be just like them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They were agents too?” Rey asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some of the best, Poe’s just like them,” Leia tells her. “Well, he’s a little more mouthy but I blame Han for that one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So he and Ben are like brothers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly,” Leia smiles. “I had three silly boys running around my house, well, two silly boys and Ben.” As if on cue, the sounds of roughhousing came from the entrance hall followed by a sharp clatter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leia! Han broke something!” Poe’s voice came from the doorway. Leia rolled her eyes and shook her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See what I mean?” she sighed causing Rey to laugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dinner was as delicious as it had smelled. Roast lamb with rosemary, mint and redcurrant jelly. Roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, potato gratin and a larger assortment of colourful vegetables than Rey had ever seen. It was the best meal she’s ever eaten and she’d eaten in some high-end restaurants in her life. She assumed it was the company that had made it so special, surrounded by chatting family members, refereeing mild bickering between men and being exposed to private jokes. It was nice and she’d realised she’d never had this before. The feeling of family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet as she looked around the table, Rey couldn’t help but feel like something wasn’t right. The table was slightly too big, like there were places missing. The overly extravagant meal was just a single person’s share too much. The bittersweet way they told stories about Ben. Rey felt like she’d stepped into something tonight that she wasn’t fully aware of. She wondered if they’d tell her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After dinner, Han invited Poe and Rey into the living room while Leia cleaned up. Rey had offered several times to help but Leia had insisted she go with the boys. Even though the room was extensive, large windows panelled one wall, the dark lake glittering beyond them and a huge fireplace roared in the centre, it was cosy. Han sunk into a worn armchair, worn by his continual use, Rey assumed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(</span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span> Iris – Goo Goo Dolls </span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Softly, music starts to play and Rey looks around for the source, seemingly coming from all around her. Poe chuckles and her eyes turn to him as he moves towards her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanna dance?” he asks her. She shakes her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Awh, come on. By this point, you’ve danced with everyone else,” he jokes, giving her a mischievous wink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go on Rey,” Han urges. “If you don’t, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> dance by himself and I’m still scarred from the last time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe shrugs and Rey chuckles quietly, placing her hand in his outstretched one. He pulls her to her feet and swings her around extravagantly before pulling her into him, wrapping his arm around her. She put her arm around his shoulder and let him sway her ridiculously out of time with the music. She giggled a little and Poe smiled down at her. He began to slow to the tempo of the music now pulling her closer into more of a hug than a dancing position. Rey found that she didn’t mind the comfort it brought her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry I’m not Ben,” Poe murmured by her ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s true,” he agreed and Rey smiled against his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leia dropped the dirty dishes into the soapy sink and listened to the soft music travelling from the living room. She took her moment of solitude and used it to check her phone. When she unlocked it, the application she wanted was already open, it had been for 3 months. It loaded the world into existence and her eyes went wide when both her own and Ben’s tracking blips were on the screen. Leia shot a glance down the hall, satisfied that she was unnoticed, she slipped out the back door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben stood, his dress shoes getting covered in dirt, with his coat wrapped around him. It wasn’t overly cold tonight but it was always cooler down here by the water. Through the glowing windows, he watched them dance, thinking how it was only a few hours ago that he’d held Rey that way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He should be in there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew tonight was going to be rough without them, hell it was usually rough with them but at least he was with them. He had planned to drink his way through the night at that God awful party, which in hindsight, probably wouldn’t have been the best idea under the circumstances. At least seeing Rey had saved him from that one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could come inside you know,” her gravelly voice said, stepping up beside him. He stood with her, both of them looking in on their family, dancing and laughing. “I’m sure they’d all love to see you, your father especially.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t,” he said flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you can, no one will know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I can’t. It’s too dangerous. I fear I’ve already put Rey in danger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey’s a big girl - and a great agent - she can take care of herself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben ignored his mother’s last comment. It didn’t matter if she could take care of herself if something were to happen, he wasn’t going to let it happen in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you do me a favour?” he asks his mother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you see if you can track down Ackbar’s wife?” he asks, Leia’s eyebrows furrowing at the request.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Has something happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A while back. Ackbar’s not working for Snoke because he wants to, it’s because the bastard has his wife,” Ben bit out, the thought of the decaying CEO sending a chill up his spine. Leia nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see what I can do.” Ben nods his thanks and turns his gaze back to the wholesome sight in his parents living room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How has she been?” he asks quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Worried about you mostly, we all have been,” Ben looked to his feet, finding small comfort in the concern of his family. “Honestly though, I think she’s a little lost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he says. “I know the feeling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodness, you two are like a bloody Greek tragedy!” Leia exclaims jokingly and it threatens to bring a smile to Ben’s lips. “That was almost a smile there,” she remarked, looking up at her son. He looked down at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Almost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Through the window, Ben could see Rey pulling away from Poe and after a little resistance, she left the living room and headed for the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should probably go,” Ben sighed, turning back to the parting in the trees where he’d come from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad I got to see you tonight Ben,” Leia tells him. He looks to his mother, who in recent years had treated him more as her subordinate than her son. Now she looked like a sweet woman who missed her little boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” he tells her before disappearing into the darkness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey had excused herself to use the bathroom but all she really needed was some air. The atmosphere downstairs was friendly and inviting but it was so much more than Rey had been used to and for a moment, she felt smothered. She explored the second floor, the heels of her shoes quietened by the plush white carpeting. Most of the doors upstairs were closed over and Rey wouldn’t dare open a closed door in someone else’s house but the slightly ajar door at the end of the hallway got the better of her curiosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pushed the door wider and flicked on the switch to the left of the doorframe. Light flooded the room and she knew exactly whose room this was. The decor was simplistic. White walls, grey, perfectly made bed sheets, M.I.T. posters. She wandered in, unable to hold back her interest and she strolled alongside the dressers, each one adorned with various photographs. One, in particular, caught her eye and she picked it up to examine it further. She smiled down at the two dark haired boys, who looked nothing alike but had matching smiles to go with their matching fishing vests and hats. Luke, with his salt and pepper beard, had his arms wrapped around the two boys, the Organa-Solo’s private expanse of lake sparkling in the sunlight behind the three of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey heard Poe come up behind her but he didn’t say anything, he just leaned over her shoulder, looking down at the photo in her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good thing he grew into those ears,” Poe remarks referring to the pale ears sticking out from underneath tiny Ben’s tiny fishing hat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did he though?” Rey asks, a smirk playing on her mouth. Poe huffed a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really but he knows how to work it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very true,” Rey chuckles. “I didn’t realise Luke was so close to all of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, he’s Leia brother,” Poe says, almost confused at Rey’s cluelessness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” she asks. “I had no idea.” She looks back down at the photo, Luke pulling his raven haired nephew in for a hug, she chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s funny?” Poe asks her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just, Luke always said that he wanted to introduce me to his nephew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe chuckles now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How serendipitous,” he commented. “I swear that man can see through time and space.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey laughs a little and places the frame back in its place on the dresser. Poe moves across the room and sinks down onto the edge of the bed. Rey turns to him and hopes now would be a good time to get an answer to her burning question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tonight, it’s something significant isn’t it?” Poe sighed and nodded. He patted the bed next to him and Rey took his invitation. Poe rubbed a hand over the back of his neck awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Has Ben told you anything about college?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just that he went to M.I.T. 3 years early and what his Major was,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was actually offered a scholarship for M.I.T. Several of his teachers put him forward for it but he declined it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He declined?” Rey asked, unable to suppress the surprise in his voice. Poe nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm, he said he didn’t need the scholarship because his parents had money and that someone who needs it should get it.” Poe put on a mocking deep voice, clearly intending it to be Ben, Rey chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s just </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> perfect,” Rey adds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, it’s annoying isn’t it?” Poe sighs, he wraps an arm around her and pulls her into his side. “Anyways, 15-year-old Ben goes off to college. He’s not drinking, partying or having sex like everyone else. He studies. He works hard. He’s the professors’ favourite. By his Junior Year - third year -” he clarifies. “He’s a prodigy, job offers coming in left, right and centre. He also starts training with Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben trained to be an agent?” Rey asks, surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, he was good too. Beat my ass more than a few times.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not hard though,” Rey quips, Poe giving here a feeble glare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You make it look way easier than it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you say so,” she shrugs. “What happened then? Ben isn’t an agent, is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, he couldn’t pass his Final Exam,” Poe says. “Wasn’t for lack of trying though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey felt a warmth in her heart for Ben. A smart, decent, good man who couldn’t bring himself to shoot and kill a complete stranger in his Final Exam like the rest of them had. However, there was something about the apprehensive expression on Poe’s face that told her that this wasn’t the point of the story. She felt his arm tighten around her a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On the 12th of October, 11 years ago today, Leia called me telling me Ben was in hospital with a drug overdose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Rey’s voice was quiet, disbelieving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“According to the EMT, a cocktail of drugs was in his system, had been for months by the looks of it,” Poe explained but Rey could hear his voice becoming hoarse. “You see, he was only 17 and he was trying to push himself in college as well as doing something he didn’t really believe he was capable of doing. It was too much for him and he did what he could to manage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey’s heart squeezed tight at the thought of the grinning boy with the too big ears, being so lost, so buried under that he needed such a drastic escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope this doesn’t make you think any less of him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, no. I’m not exactly a poster child for great teenage decisions myself,” she says and Poe chuckles. “It just makes me worry about him more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He is practically fully trained Rey, he can look after himself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, it’s just-” she hesitates, leaned into Poe a little more where she’s tucked in under his arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just?” he presses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’ve really fallen for him Poe and I … I didn’t tell him. I should have told him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe squeezed her a little and she heard the smallest of chuckles inside his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You still will.” He leans his head down and presses a quick peck to her hair. Despite their ongoing animosity, Rey honestly felt comforted by Poe. For the first time in her life, she might have found a real friend. She let him hug her tightly a little longer, enjoying the feeling of being cared about. Eventually, she sat up, Poe releasing her from his embrace and sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we going to do about Finn?” she says finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hell if I know,” he groaned. “He told me jack all tonight, nothing to go on except that he was mysteriously hanging around a Snoke Industries fundraiser. If I could just get into Ben’s lab but you blow up a server room one time and suddenly you can’t be trusted-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, woah, woah,” Rey interrupts, cutting off Poe's tirade. “What about Ben’s lab?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben’s got control of the security systems for my apartment. That’s why I’ve been practically breaking the door down. If I can get in there, I can see what happened to Finn that night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can get you in there,” Rey says quietly. “I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty sure. I mentioned his lab tonight and he said something about being the kind of woman who opens doors herself. I’m assuming I can get in there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sneaky little-,” Poe started before stopping himself. “What are we still doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out of the Organa-Solo house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To say Poe hastily headed back to the office would be a massive understatement. He put his foot to the floor in the car, Rey’s hair whipping backwards in the wind as she was dragged along for the ride.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sprinted to the lab, Rey hot on his heels. Outside the door, he urged her to scan her keycard and with one quick swipe, the door clicked open. Poe growled in frustration at not thinking of this sooner. They both pushed through the door and Poe went immediately to Ben’s desktop computer, whipping the dust sheet off it and throwing it by the wayside. He sank into the desk chair and brought the machine to life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only to be confronted with a login screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dammit,” he snapped, slamming the mouse on the table. “Of course it’s password protected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He does do some pretty confidential stuff on there Poe,” Rey reasons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know! But that’s no good to me now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey starts to move around the lab, looking in books and through stacks of paper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, he’s got to have left the password lying around somewhere, otherwise what would be the point of letting us in at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey,” Poe turns to watch her, exasperated. “He’s not gonna just leave his password in plain si-” he stopped himself. He watched the beautiful girl, rummaging through hidden notebooks and unseen spaces that Poe would never have found.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he did leave the password in plain sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe turns to the keyboard and types.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>R - E - Y - J - O - H - N - S - O - N</b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>logging in</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s cool, I got it!” Poe calls over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, nice one,”  Rey replies, making her way back over to Poe who was starting to boot up the many months of security footage of his apartment. Making sure to casually glide by all the evenings he’d had … visitors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey’s phone chimed behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Expecting someone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, actually,” she tells him. “I’m just going to go check this, I’ll be right back,” she assures him, heading for the lab door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’re the key so …” Poe murmurs after she’s gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He clicks through the dates, looking for a specific one three months ago. When he finds it, he opens all the cameras out to spread across Ben’s three monitors and sets them playing at double speed. He watches his street throughout the day, cars coming and going. His cleaning lady coming around midday. The sky darkens and the street lights come on. And then Poe’s car shows up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slows the playback a little, watching all the feeds, eyes darting here, there and everywhere. Trying to take in everything he could in case it was important.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His sliced up hand was starting to hurt again and the bandage that he got wrapped around it in the infirmary earlier was beginning to itch. As he watched the screens, he slowly unravelled the bandage. The bandage fell away and Poe was so alarmed by what was left on his hand that he missed the sleek, black town car pull up outside his building in the dead of night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The slices in his hand weren’t haphazard at all. Now that they were all cleaned up and beginning to heal, he could see what they really were. They were letters, three letters to be exact.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>H U X</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe looked up at the footage and watched Finn climb into the towncar. He wound it back a little and changed the view, street-level this time instead of the initial high angle. The back door of the car opened and it was dark inside. Another car came down the street past the pulled up car, the headlights shining through the tinted windows ever so slightly. Just enough to give away the hidden man’s bright orange hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(</span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span> Black Magic Woman – Santana </span>
  <span>♫</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey certainly wasn’t expecting any emails and it’s not like she casually gave out her encrypted work email address to every Tom, Dick and Harry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Outside the lab door, she opened her inbox to look at it properly. There was one unread email. The sender’s email address was a load of nonsense, a random string of numbers and letters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally, if this had been her everyday email address, she’d have just declared it as spam, reported it and deleted it. But the subject line of the email made her heart leap into her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Black Magic Woman</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She opened it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I hope that now you’ve gotten into my lab, you won’t be forgetting about me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Because I can’t forget about you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Especially in that pink dress.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey grinned down at her phone. She looked around, making sure  that she was definitely alone. This was dangerous, she knew that but maybe Ben was a little wilder than she ever gave him credit for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hit reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Forget you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I couldn’t even if I wanted to.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>please reach out to me and tell me what you think!<br/>either on here or on twitter, i'll respond to every comment! &lt;3<br/>thank you for reading! xxx</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm @someonesbh on Twitter, come and say hi!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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